KUALA LUMPUR – Warisan is looking to field up to 30 parliamentary candidates in the peninsula for the coming general election (GE15) as the party eyes expanding its influence in West Malaysia and becoming a “stabilising” factor for the nation’s politics.
The party’s coordinator for Peninsular Malaysia, Dr Rajiv Bhanot, also said Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was scheduled to reveal all of its unannounced candidates at a hotel in the city here at 10am today.
In an interview with The Vibes yesterday, Dr Rajiv said Warisan was consolidating itself as a party that promotes moderation and multiculturalism, apart from coming up with solutions for the country’s political instability and economic woes.
He also noted that Warisan will be running solo in GE15, without cooperation with any coalition, and that it would name between 25 to 30 candidates for the peninsula.
These candidates would complement the 25 Warisan contenders tipped to run in Sabah in GE15, bringing the party’s line-up to between 50 and 55 seats nationwide, which is around half of the 112 MPs needed to form a federal government.
Despite only being officially launched as a national party in December last year, Dr Rajiv said he believed the party held a good standing for GE15 as many of the peninsula candidates are established names.
He said, for example, the party is helmed by former Perlis speaker Abdul A’zib Saad and ex-Kedah executive councillor for religious affairs Datuk Fadzil Hanafi in the two northern states, apart from former Jelutong MP Ooi Chuan Aun – better known as Jeff Ooi – in Penang.
Other notable members include Datuk Seri S. Sunther, a former MIC central working committee member and son of the Barisan Nasional component party’s late deputy president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam.
Furthermore, Warisan recently announced the inclusion of former MCA president Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat as a candidate for GE15.
“We have pooled a very interesting group of leaders here in Peninsular Malaysia, whether it’s in the Malay heartland up in the north or the pulse of the Chinese voters in places like Penang,” Dr Rajiv said.
“The party has attracted an interesting and diverse, multiracial group of Malaysian leaders, and this is what the party stands for.”
We want to bring moderate policy-driven politics into the country. I think we want to move away from the politics of hate. The country cannot afford one more term of political instability.”
On Sunday, Warisan announced it would field young Chinese faces in the Sabah seats Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, and Tawau, which are all held by Pakatan Harapan.
Amanda Yeo, 29, a research analyst, will contest in DAP’s stronghold of Kota Kinabalu where she will possibly face incumbent MP Chan Foong Hin and a candidate from the state’s ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah or MCA.
Alex Thien, 31, an engineer with a master of science in renewable energy from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, will contest in Sandakan, also a DAP stronghold.
Warisan’s Chen Ket Chiun, 28, will face an uphill battle in Tawau – a seat which is now 60.71% Muslim Bumiputera according to 2018 data.
On Saturday, Shafie noted that Warisan stood to be a kingmaker in GE15, as rival coalitions would likely not be able to form a federal government after the general election if the party wins all 25 seats in Sabah.
Asked about Shafie’s remarks, Dr Rajiv said Warisan wants to be a “stabilising” factor in the formation of the federal government after the polls.
He also noted that the party already has 100,000 members in the peninsula alone, which is a sign of its growing influence.
Dr Rajiv also said the Malaysian public are showing signs of “fatigue” with the current state of politics in the country, which has promoted intolerance and divisiveness instead of moderation and tolerance.
He added that the country was faced with more pressing concerns, such as the economic outlook for next year and high unemployment.
“There is an impending global recession looming and 2023 is going to be a very tough year globally. There are already signs (of this) with many countries officially going into recession,” he said.
“We need the right kind of policies that will minimise the impact of a recession on the country. Unemployment is high in Malaysia now, so how do we bring foreign investors into the country, how do we prevent investors from leaving the country?” – The Vibes, November 1, 2022
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