KOTA KINABALU – Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is trudging his next move cautiously, especially in light of the impending 15th general election (GE15).
Based on the outcome of the Melaka and Johor state elections, Shafie cautioned that GE15 may not be what many expect.
“Although the two state elections may seem favourable to Barisan Nasional, voter turnout in these two elections could spell a different scenario for the forthcoming general elections.
“We can see the trend in the three state elections (Melaka, Sarawak, and Johor), even though we know that BN had won, we also know that voter turnout was lower than expected; there is quite a large number of them who did not go out to vote.
“They won a two-thirds majority, but the voters were not there. This is an indication that we cannot just claim (that BN will win the general election).
“I do believe that in the coming general election, it could be a different scenario,” he told a press conference today, which saw two former Sabah DAP reps joining Warisan.
On Warisan’s performance in the Johor polls, the Semporna MP said there was no reason for the party to go full swing.
“Instead, the party is looking to tie up with local partners through smart partnerships.”
He said the party is currently focusing on working with local parties to have a united front to strengthen the nation.
However, it could be a different story during or after the general election, as Shafie said he wanted the party that receives the people’s mandate to be stable to avoid another Sheraton Move from happening.
Shafie hinted that Warisan was open to working with the winning party after the general election.
“Warisan is not choosy and opens its doors to have a smart partnership with any party that could be the right partner for the party.”
However, Shafie said he was not able to reveal the technicalities of the partnership.
As for Warisan’s plans in Peninsular Malaysia for the elections, Shafie said that he realises that Warisan has limited capacity and decided to leave out several states, without stating which.
“I evaluate (the party) myself, but we have to be pragmatic. Warisan is not a big party and we know that it is not easy to stretch to all states,” he said.
He cited the Johor election, where Warisan contested in only six seats, targeting multiracial seats as Warisan is a multiracial party.
He admitted that the Johor election was not easy for Warisan, because the party was only launched in the state three weeks before the polls and did not have sufficient time to build its presence there.
“However, I have to go to the ground myself, see for myself, learn and gather information. (Even though we lost) we have gathered valuable information from the ground during the period.
“It takes time to introduce our party and let people know our party better,” he said.
Shafie said he hoped the people will open their eyes and see if their representatives are truly united to work for them or will leave any party that loses its power.
“I hope the people will be able to see the right thing and the right values when deciding who to support,” he added.
Currently, Warisan has seven MPs and 19 assemblymen in the 79-seat state assembly, which includes six nominated assemblymen. – The Vibes, March 26, 2022
