KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee questioned whether Sabah STAR's closer political ties with Warisan would ultimately benefit STAR, saying the arrangement could potentially strengthen Warisan more than STAR itself.
Speaking to reporters after the opening of the party's annual congress, Yong, who was a close ally of Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in previous elections championing Sabah rights, said Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was keener to leverage Sabah STAR's support base.
He said Sabah STAR faced strategic considerations heading into the next general election, particularly in areas such as Keningau where the party had traditionally enjoyed stronger grassroots support.
The SAPP president noted the attendance of Sabah STAR leaders at a recent Warisan congress in Sandakan, where Shafie announced plans to contest all 26 parliamentary seats in Sabah and Labuan.
He asked whether Sabah STAR would eventually contest under its own logo or cooperate more closely with Warisan in the coming general election.
"People who support Jeffrey may not necessarily support Shafie," he said, explaining that Sabah STAR's support was closely tied to Dr Jeffrey's personal leadership and political brand.
In his view, Warisan supporters were likely to follow the party leadership's electoral decisions, but Sabah STAR supporters might not automatically transfer their votes if the party entered a formal arrangement with Warisan.
"Like it or not, Jeffrey is the brand," he said, adding that voters in some areas back Sabah STAR primarily because of Dr Jeffrey's long standing advocacy for Sabah rights.
Any electoral cooperation could end up benefiting Warisan more than Sabah STAR, he claimed, particularly if Sabah STAR supporters became hesitant about supporting candidates associated with Warisan.
Political alignments at both the federal and Sabah levels remained fluid, said Yong, a former Sabah chief minister, with parties still evaluating their options amid changing political dynamics.
Both SAPP and Sabah STAR were members of the ruling state Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor before both parties pulled out of the coalition to contest on their own in the Nov 2025 state election.
Sabah STAR won two state seats while SAPP failed to win any.
Following the state election, Kadazandusun-based Sabah STAR and Parti KDM are seen warming up towards a possible electoral pact for the coming general election.
SAPP, he said, remained focused on Sabah-centric issues rather than political alignments, while continuing to assess its own plans for the next general election.
He warned that further realignments in national politics could reshape the country's political landscape.
Uncertainties surrounding the Federal Government, economic challenges and ongoing political manoeuvring among major Peninsular-based parties meant new alliances were still possible before voters headed to the polls, he said.
Yong said it was important for Sabah's local parties to remain strong regardless of future federal political developments, as Sabah and Sarawak's bargaining power would depend on their parliamentary representation after the election.
The worst-case scenario for Sabah and Sarawak, he said, would be a situation in which Peninsular-based coalitions secured enough parliamentary seats on their own to form the Federal Government without relying on support from Sabah and Sarawak MPs.
"If political blocs in Peninsular Malaysia can form the government by themselves, Sabah and Sarawak will lose much of their bargaining power in pursuing issues such as the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63)," he said, adding that while federal leaders frequently pledge support for Sabah and Sarawak, there remain differing views within political circles in Peninsular Malaysia regarding the implementation of MA63 commitments.
He said local parties should continue strengthening their position to ensure Sabah remains a key stakeholder in any post-election government formation process.
