Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal says the party has yet to decide whether it will contest the Lamag and Kinabatangan by-elections as it continues to assess the political landscape.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan is keeping its doors open and has yet to decide whether it will field candidates in the Lamag state seat and the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency for the upcoming by-elections on Jan 24.
Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said the party was still assessing the situation on the ground, noting that it remains unclear who else may enter the contests.
“We have not made any decision yet because we do not know who will be contesting — whether it will be only Umno or other parties as well,” he said when met after the opening of Warisan’s 8th annual general assembly in Kolombong here on Saturday (Dec 20).
Shafie said there have been instances where a single constituency saw a large number of candidates, including independents, making it premature for the party to commit to a decision.
“Sometimes, in one area, there can be up to 10 or even 14 independent candidates,” he said.
At this stage, he said Warisan’s focus was on strengthening its internal machinery and consolidating party support before making any announcement.
“The important thing for us now is to focus on improving and strengthening our party first. No decision has been made,” he added.
Earlier, Shafie said the party was still conducting in-depth studies before making any decision on contesting the Lamag state seat and the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency.
He said several factors were being considered, including the relatively short remaining term of Parliament, stressing that Warisan would only contest if it was confident of fielding a winning candidate.
“I will look at the situation and the position there, because I have already asked for a detailed study to be carried out in those areas. But we have not made any decision yet on whether to contest the parliamentary seat or the Lamag state seat,” he said.
“I have also stated that Parliament does not have long to go — less than two years before dissolution — so this is the reality. If we decide to contest, it must be with the confidence that we can win,” he added.
Barisan Nasional (Barisan) has already confirmed Mohd Naim Kurniawan, son of the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, as its candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, with the decision announced last Friday (Dec 19) by Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Last Wednesday (Dec 17), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor told reporters that GRS is likely to sit out the by-elections, opting instead to give way and support Barisan.
During the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 29, Warisan fielded first-time candidate Saifullah Lokman in Lamag, who garnered 372 votes. Bung Moktar secured 3,908 votes.
The Lamag and Kinabatangan by-elections were triggered by the death of Bung Moktar Radin on Dec 5, with the Election Commission setting Jan 10 as nomination day, Jan 20 for early voting and Jan 24 as polling day for both seats.
