Warisan reiterates no pre-election pact with Peninsular parties, open only to post-poll cooperation at federal level.
PETALING JAYA: Warisan has reiterated that it will not enter into any electoral pact with parties from Peninsular Malaysia ahead of the next general election, while leaving the door open for post-election cooperation to form a federal government.
Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong said the party’s position has remained consistent, stressing that Sabah should continue to be governed by local-based parties, with any collaboration at the federal level considered only after polling day.
Wong said reports suggesting Warisan had decided to work with Peninsula-based parties before the election were taken out of context.
He explained that the party’s long-standing stance is that Sabah’s political landscape should be led by Sabah-based parties, without external involvement during elections.
“Our position has never changed. We want Sabah to be governed by local parties. That is very clear,” he told theSun when contacted.
However, Wong stressed that Warisan remains pragmatic at the federal level and open to cooperation after the election.
“At the federal level, we can work together to form the government. But that does not mean we are working together now,” he added.
He said any form of collaboration with Peninsula-based parties would only take place after the election and would depend entirely on the outcome.
“Let us go through the election first. After that, we can discuss who forms the government. That is what we mean by cooperation,” Wong said.
According to him, the party respects the democratic process and the choices made by voters nationwide, including those in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Ultimately, we must accept the decision of the Malaysian people. We may have personal preferences, but when the people vote, we have to respect that decision,” he said, adding that it would be unreasonable for Sabah-based parties to attempt to influence voters in Peninsular Malaysia.
Wong stressed that Warisan’s role is to contest elections independently and to ensure its political space is not disrupted by external parties during the campaign period.
“Our role is to contest and to ask that others do not interfere with us. After that, when decisions are made, we will cooperate for the good of the country,” he said.
On a separate matter, Wong declined to comment on whether Warisan will contest the Lamag state and Kinabatangan parliamentary by-elections, saying the issue had only recently been raised.
Wong, who is also the Tanjung Aru assemblyman, said it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage as party leaders require more time to deliberate.
“We will take a couple more days to decide, after which the president will announce the party’s official stance,” he said, adding that an announcement is expected after Christmas.
