Zahid said Umno and Barisan Nasional will not make any statement that could worsen the turmoil and called on Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to do the same.

He said Sabah politics is dynamic and a cooling-off period will help facilitate a resolution to the political turmoil.

Asked how long the cooling-off period will last, Zahid said no timeline had been set.

He said various proposals had been put forth to end the political turmoil in Sabah but any solution required the cooperation of all parties in the state.

Umno and Sabah BN’s focus now is on the people, he said.

“If all parties want to find a solution, we can sit down and do so, no matter what,” he said at a press conference here. Also present was Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin.

Zahid also said no action will be taken against the five Sabah Umno assemblymen who went against the party’s decision to withdraw support for chief minister Hajiji Noor earlier this month.

The five are Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Jasni Daya (Pantai Dalit), James Ratib (Sugut), Yusof Yacob (Sindumin) and Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk).

On Jan 6, Sabah BN and Umno retracted their support for Hajiji on the grounds that he had violated a pact with BN, Parti Bersatu Sabah and Perikatan Nasional after the state elections in September 2020.

However, on Jan 9, Hajiji declared he had the support of 44 assemblymen, including five from Umno and seven from Pakatan Harapan.

Following a state Cabinet reshuffle on Jan 11, Shahelmy was named deputy chief minister and state works minister, taking over the posts previously held by Bung.