After Sabah setback, Warisan looks westward
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Warisan since it was formed in 2016. The party was voted to power in Sabah barely two years later, only to let it slip when a snap election was forced in September 2020.
Although the party is still licking its wounds, recent events suggested that the party was setting sights on an even bigger prize.
On March 24, Warisan president Shafie Apdal "premiered" a video clip on his Facebook page with the title "Never lose hope".
The three-minute video was interspersed with scenes of various races and ethnicities of Malaysians against the backdrop of both Kuala Lumpur and Warisan's home base of Sabah.
At one point, the camera then cuts to a wide shot of the federal capital’s skyline before we see Shafie, sat in front of the Malaysian and the Sabah flags, addressing the people of Malaysia about unity and perseverance.
It concludes with scenes of famous landmarks throughout the states in Malaysia while the music builds to a crescendo.
As the camera pan over the Petronas Twin Towers, the video finally ends with Shafie saying, "One nation, one destiny. In God we trust, unite we must."
The "premier" was actually a misnomer, given that Shafie had posted the same video on Dec 28 last year as a New Year's message.
However, the recycling of an old video has gotten tongues wagging given the political uncertainties in Peninsular Malaysia and the prospect of snap elections being held for Parliament this year.
A prominent East Malaysia observer and University of Tasmania academician James Chin was one believer that Shafie was foreshadowing Warisan's westward expansion.
With a fractious Perikatan Nasional-BN governing coalition and a deflated Pakatan Harapan, Chin believed this was the opportune moment for Warisan to make a move.
"It's the best time now. We are in an emergency. The West Malaysian political establishment is split into many different factions. It is a good opportunity to move across the South China Sea," Chin told Malaysiakini.
When Shafie formed Warisan, he had deliberately moulded the party as Sabah-centric, refusing to officially be part of the Kuala Lumpur-based Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition.
This form of regionalism worked in Warisan's favour against the Kuala Lumpur-based BN coalition during the 2018 elections but faltered during the 2020 elections when voters backed the new Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition instead.
The two main parties in GRS - Bersatu and Umno - are both headquartered far away in the Klang Valley.
Chin explained that it was only natural for political parties being pragmatic about the viability of regionalism as power centred in the west.
"Initially, they wanted to expand to Sarawak first, but I think they have revised their ambition ever since the (state) government was replaced in September, so now they are going all out to move to the whole country.
"You cannot be a regional party and try to capture the federal government. For you to be taken seriously by the political establishment in Malaya, you have to be able to show you can attract political support from both sides (East and West Malaysia)," Chin said.
New brand of politics
Shafie's national-level political ambitions are no secret. He was once a very high-ranking member of Umno until 2017. He was also once named as a prime minister candidate among some opposition MPs.
Agora Society researcher and Sabah native Esther Siniran Chong said Warisan, while being Sabah-centric, had been consistent in its stated mission of forging better interethnic and religious ties through their messaging, actions and leadership line-up.
These values, said Chong, will likely resonate in some other parts of Malaysia as well and therefore there was no need to confine their market to Sabah.
“They have Muslims, Christian natives, Chinese and more. It is almost like a small BN setting. The image they bring to Peninsular is really attractive to some people.
"It looks like a very harmonious party - it doesn’t matter what kind of race you are, it counts whether you are Malaysian or not," said Chong.
No other Sabah-based party can claim the credentials nor be in a position to transition to Peninsular Malaysia, opined Chong.
When contacted, Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking told Malaysiakini that there could be "positive" news about the party's expansion within a month.
"I think coming over (to Peninsular) is already a given. The only thing is there are some technicalities we need to sort out with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
"There's been a huge response, in fact, so many want to join, but let us do this nicely. Knowing Shafie and our political culture, we won't rush. We like to do things properly.
"I think in the next month or so we should be able to hear something very positive, or less than one month," said Leiking.
However, when asked whether there has been any interest from Peninsular Malaysia MPs in joining Warisan, Leiking stressed that they do not entice anyone into joining the party.
He also explained Warisan is now looking to expand nationwide because they want to bring their brand of politics to the rest of Malaysia.
“People see a difference in our type of politics, more so in Sabah. In our case, for me when I look at Warisan, it is a combination of all races in Sabah, with a lot of supporters in Peninsular Malaysia.
"We want to bring in something that has value, thus working together with Muda (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance) has also the added value of representing youthful outlook towards new politics in Malaysia," he said.
Muda and Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) are among two yet-to-be registered political parties in Peninsular Malaysia with MPs in Parliament.
Muda co-founder Mutalib Uthman was quoted saying yesterday that his party is in talks with Warisan to help the latter expand to Peninsular Malaysia but stressed that discussions are preliminary.
Meanwhile, Pejuang co-founder Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said his party wants to be a "third force" in the upcoming general election and was looking for allies. - Mkini
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