KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan is denying allegations it has a "secret pact" with Barisan Nasional and insists that the party will contest all 73 seats in the upcoming state election.
Warisan legal advisor Chin Tek Ming described the claim by former Sabah Bersatu deputy chief Aksyah Nasrah as a "work of fiction".
"The claim of a secret pact between Warisan and Barisan is an outright lie," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 1).
"Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has made it clear that the party will contest all 73 state seats independently. Our only pact is with the people of Sabah, not any political party," he said.
Chin said Aksyah, who has since pledged allegiance to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), was not speaking as a neutral observer but as "a political operative for a rival coalition."
Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua Jr also hit back at GRS, accusing its leaders of hypocrisy over claims that Warisan had worked with Umno to topple the state government.
Loretto said GRS had never received a direct mandate from voters in the 16th Sabah Election, pointing out that many of its leaders, including Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, won their seats under Bersatu.
He also accused GRS of striking "secret deals" involving the state's natural resources.
"There is no secret agreement or collaboration between Warisan and Umno," he said.
