Look Ma, No Hands

At the rate things are going, Pak Lah won’t have a Cabinet to tie two shoelaces together.

Today, another Cabinet member threw in his towel.

Ghapur Salleh, who is natural resources and environment deputy minister, has quit his post just eight days after accepting his appointment.

His reasons? ‘I don’t want to be tied down to government duties ... I just want to do my own thing.’

Why then did Ghapur Salleh accept the appointment in the first place? And what is the ‘own thing’ he’s wanting to do?

Anyway, Ghapur Salleh says he’s not quitting the party. He’ll be staying on as Umno Kalabakan chief. Ghapur Salleh, 64, is MP for Kalabakan. In 1990s, he was a deputy chief minister of Sabah.

In the last few days, Umno’s partners in Sabah have had to put up with some serious disrespect from the big boys in Kuala Lumpur. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Ghapur Salleh’s fallout has something to do with this.

Adnan Mansor, upon taking power as Umno secretary-general on March 19 after Radzi Sheikh Ahmad chucked the job, said Barisan Nasional should send people over to East Malaysia to check that no Barisan Sabah leaders attempt a defection to the opposition side.

Adnan’s suggestion has been lambasted by Sabah Progressive Party president Yong Teck Lee as 'insulting' and likens it to ‘spying on party colleagues.’

Poor Sabahans. This is the thanks you get for sticking up for your mates in KL.