FOR Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, Sabah’s political battlefield is not on TikTok or in the pages of newspapers, but in the villages and kedai kopi where voters decide who they trust.
Shafie, who is preparing his party for a solo fight in the coming state election, said candidate credibility cannot be manufactured through media exposure alone.
“It’s not about keluar TikTok, keluar surat khabar. What matters is the people on the ground — who they want, who they need. That is more crucial,” he told reporters when met at his residence in Kota Kinabalu.
Acknowledging calls for more women and youth candidates, Shafie said Warisan would field them but stressed that the party’s priority was grassroots recognition.
“Some of them may never be seen on the national stage, but the kampung knows them well. And that is what counts when people decide to vote,” he said.
He pointed to teachers, lawyers, headmasters and retired civil servants as examples of candidates who may not command headlines but are known and trusted locally.
He said Warisan has already a list of candidates but has yet to narrow down to the party choice. Some constituencies have more than one pick and the party will soon deliberate on them.
Shafie recounted his walkabouts in Kudat, Kepayan and Luyang, where locals voiced frustration over absentee YBs who spent more time in Kota Kinabalu than in their constituencies.
At one kedai kopi, he said, retirees told him: “Ninety days from now, Datuk Seri, you’re going to be the chief minister. We must celebrate here in this coffee shop.”
These encounters, Shafie argued, carry more political weight than trending clips online.
He also stressed the importance of Chinese support, not only in urban centres like Kota Kinabalu and Penampang but in rural districts such as Tawau, Balung, Apas and Keningau.
“Don’t underestimate the Chinese support,” he said, recalling how past leaders including Tun Mustapha and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan relied on it to secure power.
This comes from the notion that Chinese businesses remain anchors in both towns and rural kampungs, and the livelihoods of locals are tied to them.
Their political choices can ripple beyond their own community. - August 19, 2025
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