KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah sees the need to provide voters with a new choice by spreading its wings to Peninsular Malaysia, instead of leaving them with the same choices every time elections are held, says Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.

The Warisan president said while it was seen as a Sabah-based party, the fact was that the party constitution allowed Warisan to contest in over 222 seats nationwide.

"I am also a national leader. I have been in politics and serving the country for over 30 years in Peninsula Malaysia," he said, adding Warisan had strong support in the peninsula as well.

Shafie said the party's spread to the peninsula was scheduled for Dec 17, and more details would be revealed then.

He was speaking after officiating at the Warisan annual general meeting here on Sunday (Dec 12).

Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) pro-tem president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was also present.

Shafie said it was vital that Malaysians were given better choices come the 15th General Election (GE15), and Warisan, together with the yet-to-be-registered Muda, could work together to provide that for the people.

Shafie said the Melaka polls itself were proof of this, where more than 40% of the population did not turn up to vote due to the lack of choice in candidates.

Asked if Warisan aimed to contest in all seats nationwide when the time comes, he said this was not the intention.

He said Warisan wouldn't be able to succeed alone and they must work with other parties with similar ambitions if they wanted to beat their political rivals.

"We must have our alliance," Shafie said, adding that working with Muda or Syed Saddiq was a way to establish a stronger footing with the younger voters.

Asked if Muda was willing to use Parti Warisan Sabah’s logo to contest in GE15 if Muda failed to be registered, Syed Saddiq said he would not answer until the court hearing next week.

He said they were trying their best to get registered through the courts but there was no question about their collaboration with Warisan.

“Let’s not go beyond the court’s decision yet. The hearing is next week," he said.

Syed Saddiq mentioned that Shafie’s strengths in politics were undeniable as he had led to a historic change of government in Sabah during the 2018 general election.

On this basis itself, he said it was safe to say that Shafie was a well-known national leader capable of making big changes in the political scene.

Meanwhile, earlier in the event, Shafie said Sabah politics have divided the people, resulting in years of being sidelined by the Federal government.

He said the voices of leaders from Sabah were not heard in Parliament as they were not strong enough.

He said people must be united if they want their voices to be heard in government.

Shafie also lambasted leaders who hopped parties after winning, saying they had only gone into politics for personal gains.

He said leaders with values would not be deterred by challenges faced as the Opposition or when they were not given positions in the party or government, yet still continued to serve the people to their best ability.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/12/12/warisan-wants-to-provide-m039sian-voters-more-choices-says-shafie