Malaysia

Warisan keeps Sabah pact talks open, pushes for local parties to contest 25 seats

Shafie said discussions on any possible political cooperation were still ongoing, with the party’s priority being to strengthen Sabah’s position and ensure its voice is heard in Parliament.

Updated 1 month ago · Published on 09 Aug 2026 5:35PM

Warisan keeps Sabah pact talks open, pushes for local parties to contest 25 seats
Shafie said the issue was not about the number of seats but ensuring Sabah had meaningful representation at the federal level. - August 9, 2026

PARTI Warisan (Warisan) has not reached any agreement with Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) or Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), but insists Sabah’s 25 parliamentary seats should be contested by local parties in the next general election.

Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said discussions on any possible political cooperation were still ongoing, with the party’s priority being to strengthen Sabah’s position and ensure its voice is heard in Parliament.

He said the proposed Borneo Bloc remained one of the approaches being considered to advance Sabah’s interests.

“We will look at it first. We have not finalised what form it will take. What is important is that we must be there and have a way to ensure Sabah’s rights and voices are heard.

“How to implement it is another matter. The Sabah Block (Borneo Bloc) is one of the important things,” he told reporters after chairing Warisan’s supreme council meeting today.

Asked about talks with STAR and KDM, Mohd Shafie said discussions were still ongoing but acknowledged there was common ground among the parties on the need to champion Sabah’s interests.

He said Warisan remained one of the parties capable of bringing together Sabah’s diverse communities, including the Chinese, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Bugis, Murut and Tidong communities.

On the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah, Mohd Shafie said the issue was not about the number of seats but ensuring Sabah had meaningful representation at the federal level.

“Do not just look at the numbers. The peninsula has 166 seats, while we only have 25. You already have more than 160, and now you want to take ours too. Where will Sabah’s voice be?” he said.

The former chief minister said Sabah’s resources and economic potential should also be given greater recognition, adding that empowering the state would ultimately benefit Malaysia as a whole. – August 9, 2026

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