Disputing trio disqualified, says Rizalman.

Tenom: Umno Tenom chief Datuk Rizalman Abdullah refuted claims by three senior leaders of the division that the no-contest declaration for the division's top three posts was made unlawfully.

He said the decision was based on the report of the management committee after receiving minutes of the branches' meetings from the division's secretary.

Rizalman said Friday that the disputing leaders - Datuk Rubin Balang, Suhaili Guriaman and Esar Andamas - had actually been disqualified to contest for the division chief, deputy chief and vice chief posts, respectively, because some of the branches had breached the party's regulations and election code of ethics. He claimed that Rubin had also tried to coax him to relax the regulations and election code of ethics on the pretext members and leaders at the grassroots level had yet to fully understand it.

However, Rizalman said he rejected Rubin's reasoning because Umno has already been in Sabah for 17 years and it would be impossible that the members and leaders still do not understand. He said it was also illogical for such problem to persist because various courses on the party's election code of ethics and regulations had been held before this.

"I am stunned by the action of Rubin, Suhaili and Esar who turned restless when the party regulation is enforced, resulting in their disqualification. "Where should we put Umno's credibility in the eyes of the community if we sideline the law and choose a shortcut to win posts?" he asked.

He added that Rubin and others either purposely or failed to understand the party regulations because "they never attended divisional committee meetings as well as the related courses although invitations had been extended to them".

"I have not gone overboard, I have taken a stern action in order to save Umno's pride and not to become the laughing stock of the people in Tenom," he said.