Warisan capable of another strong showing in GE15

 Warisan capable of another strong showing in GE15, say analysts (msn.com)

Warisan is capable of another strong performance in the 15th general election (GE15) even if it decides to go solo in Sabah

Warisan announced that it plans to contest all 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah and the one seat in Labuan in GE15.

Tony Paridi Bagang of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) said that as a local party, Warisan’s strength was in championing Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and its push for increased autonomy and development.

Ramli Dollah of the Sabah Geopolitical and Electoral Studies Unit (GeoPes) of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said Warisan had a strong influence in Sabah, especially on the east coast, the islands and coastal areas.

“Warisan’s main strength still lies in (president) Shafie Apdal. He has proven his leadership capabilities and charisma and he is a leader who can inspire the people in the bargaining process with the federal government,”  

 Warisan’s push to expand to the peninsula showed that it wanted to become one of the country’s main political players.

  Warisan also had several weaknesses, such as lack of finance and leaders with experience at federal-level politics.

 

“Warisan needs to produce leaders who are able to understand local and national issues, especially since GE15 is more focused on the latter,” he said.

 He said that apart from advocating for rights for Sabah in line with MA63, Warisan had also built a reputation as a strong and independent party which was not tied to any political alliances, especially from the peninsula.

 

 Warisan may face a “big challenge” to win seats in the predominantly KadazanDusun Murut areas as there was a perception among such communities that the party was “friendly” towards illegal immigrants.

“This was an issue that was manipulated (by opposing parties) at the Kimanis by-election in January 2020 and the Sabah state election in September 2020,”