KOTA KINABALU – The door to cooperation between Warisan and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) remains open despite the latter’s apparently racially driven attack of the former last week.
Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the door was never closed and that his intention to work with a local party is sincerely aimed to unite the people.
“The door (for cooperation) was never closed... If they want to reject us, just say reject. There’s no need to say it,” he said, referring to claims that Warisan’s grassroots are mostly undocumented migrants.
“Our intention was to unite. Maybe we have the support of the Chinese, and support from the east coast voters, but we see PBS as a Kadazandusun and Murut party and a party that once governed Sabah,” Shafie told reporters here last night.
He said Warisan can work with other parties but prefers to work with a local outfit that has common goals.
At its “Jelajah GRS” function promoting the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition in Tenom last week, PBS president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili had said that PBS is not ready to work with Warisan.
He claimed that most of Warisan’s grassroots members are undocumented migrants.
Warisan in response said they will take legal action against Ongkili over his remarks.
On another note, Shafie said he had a brief conversation over the phone with PBS adviser and former president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan four days ago.
He said Pairin wants local parties to work together in Sabah, but no longer has the power of the PBS president’s post.
Earlier in his speech, Shafie said Sabah parties in coalition with peninsula-based parties would only get a small share of seats, while those consolidated in East Malaysia would take most of it.
He cited Umno as an example of a party that had dominated most of the state seats during the Barisan Nasional (BN) era.
However, he said the time has come for Sabah to take action and end such dominance of the state’s political landscape.
Shafie said there will be no clear winners in the peninsula between the three major coalitions – Perikatan Nasional, BN, and Pakatan Harapan.
He said they will look to Sabah and Sarawak for kingmakers and into the standalone parties that can win seats, including the likes of Warisan who is seen as able to help their parties get formidable numbers.
Shafie said Warisan, working together if possible with Sarawak’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak, could make a change in the country’s political direction. – The Vibes, October 31, 2022
