KOTA KINABALU – Warisan Deputy President Datuk Darell Leiking told a rally here today that the Sabah-based party will not work with Umno.
This comes amid reports that up to 15 MPs from Umno will shift their support to PKR chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to help oust the Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal goverrnment.
Asked later to clarify Warisan's stance on Anwar's bid to wrest Putrajaya with majority support from MPs, Leiking said that he needed more details on the matter.
"There is not much information on the issue but Warisan will not support Umno," he told The Vibes tonight.
Leiking said this during PKR’s major election gathering ahead of the state polls this Saturday (September 26) in Inanam here.
Also present were Warisan Wira chief Datuk Azis Jamman, PKR vice president Tian Chua, Amanah deputy president Sallahudin Ayob and DAP deputy secretary-general Teresa Kok.
Leiking said Sabah had suffered under the former Umno-led regime which had successfully divided the state’s people based on racial and religious lines.
"They have instilled these into our minds. We must fight against these evil political ideals,” he said. "So we need to say enough is enough. Unite we must.
"We must never give Umno and Barisan Nasional a chance to reign over us anymore. They will break us," he told the crowd which reacted with cheers.
Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has refused to comment on Anwar’s declaration that he has garnered enough support to take over the country’s government.
Sabah PKR chairman Christina Liew, when asked about Leiking's statement, simply responded: "Not true."
Meanwhile, PKR vice president Tian Chua said he is not in the know about Anwar obtaining support from Umno MPs to topple PN.
"I don’t know about it. But we are fighting against Umno. We want to make sure the Sabah election is won by Warisan Plus. So Umno has no place in the election," he said. – The Vibes, September 24, 2020
Additional reporting by Norman Goh.