

In my capacity as DAP National Election Director, I am here in Sandakan, Sabah, to support Pakatan Harapanโs candidates for the seats of Sandakan (Vivian Wong Shir Yee), Batu Sapi (Liau Fui Fui), and Libaran (Dr. Peter Naintin).
The cluster of seats in the city of Sandakan is very important for the DAP and Pakatan Harapan nationally. Every seat counts in the race to 112 seats to gain a simple parliamentary majority.
We are 12 days away from polling day. A total of 21.17 million Malaysian voters will decide the fate and future of Malaysia, not just for the next five years, but for the next generation.
This is not about candidates or parties only. This general election is about choosing the next government from three major coalitions, namely Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
In Sabah, things are a little more complex. Sabahans are more experienced than most Malaysians in terms of politics and elections. Parties and leaders come and go, Sabahans know better.
Sabah BN and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), rivals in the September 2020 Sabah state election, are working together. Much as GRS is supposedly the ally of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in Sabah, it seems that the leaders do not have confidence that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassinโs PN would have sufficient number of seats to form the Federal Government.
GRS and Sabah BN are working together with the intention of providing their numbers to a BN Federal Government led by UMNO President Datoโ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
This means a vote for GRS and Sabah BN is a vote for a Zahid-led UMNO Federal Government. In the Peninsula, there is a groundswell against the Zahid-led UMNO. The better choice for Sabahans is to choose Pakatan Harapan.
What about Pakatan Harapanโs former ally Parti Warisan?
๐ญ. ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐
During the 22 months of Pakatan Harapan government, Warisan provided 3 Federal Ministers, namely, Darelll Leiking (International Trade and Industry), Mohamaddin Ketapi (Tourism), and the late V.K. Liew (Law); and 2 Deputy Ministers, namely Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (MESTECC) and Mohd Azis Jamman (Home).
Warisan cannot pretend that they had nothing to do with the Pakatan Harapan government of 2018-2020. It had its share of responsibilities. To say otherwise is a blatant lie.
๐ฎ. ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ปโ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด (๐ ๐ผ๐จ) ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ผโ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ผ๐ฏ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐.
Thanks to the MoU, the Parliament amended the Federal Constitution to acknowledge that Sabah and Sarawak are โregionsโ and not merely โstatesโ in December 2021. The MoU also yielded the passing of anti-hopping law, which is crucial to help restore faith in our political system and to prevent future Sheraton coups. Does Warisan oppose these good measures?
๐ฏ. ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ต๐ถ๐ฑ-๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข
In Sabah, Warisan asked voters to reject โMalayaโsโ parties, yet Warisan is contesting in 26 seats in the Peninsula, as well as putting up candidates against PH in Sabah this election. One wonders who is actually allies or enemies of Warisan.
The party claims that it will be a โking makerโ post-election. But it looks like Warisan wants to reduce PHโs chances of forming the next Federal Government. If thatโs the case, Warisan would provide the numbers for a BN government with Zahid as the Prime Minister.
๐ฐ. ๐๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐?
Is Warisan hiding something from Sabah voters? It claims to be a local party but there is something else behind this claim.
It is public knowledge that I was close to Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal. On 25 June 2020 at the Sabah House in Kuala Lumpur, there was a discussion about the possibility of Shafie becoming the Prime Minister. I was present. When he wanted to become Malaysiaโs Prime Minister, he did not want people to know that his party was a local Sabah party. The last time Shafie attempted to become Prime Minister was when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down in August 2021.
During the Sabah State Election in September 2020, his tagline was โIn God We Trust, Unite We Mustโ. Shafie presented himself to both the national and Sabah audience that he was Malaysiaโs Barack Obama, that he was an outsider to end Malaysiaโs racial politics, that he was the unity candidate for all Malaysians as the next Prime Minister.
At his partyโs congress in December 2020, Warisan amended its constitution to reposition itself as a national party. He did not say that Parti Warisan was a local Sabah party.
In the Johor State Election of March 2022 and in this general election, Warisan fielded candidates in the Peninsula. What happened to Warisan as the Sabah party?
In short, Shafie is not being consistent. He is hypocritical and his party is a confused lot. The idea that Parti Warisan is a local party whereas all other parties are enemies of the Sabah people is divisive and just to fish votes.
I value my past friendship with Shafie but I am sad that he isnโt consistent with his unity message.
Pakatan Harapan is the coalition of choice for all Malaysians. We do not divide people along race, religion, gender or regional allegiances. May I humbly urge all Sabah voters who believe in the spirit of โIn God We Trust, Unite We Mustโ to vote for Pakatan Harapan.
Liew Chin Tong
Share this article
Related Articles


- 22 Sep 2023ยท
Harmonising ESG practices

- 16 Sep 2023ยท
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐น ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐
Join Us
Letโs build the next wave together
To all Malaysians who created the GE14 miracle, keep fighting. We will be back stronger.