<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah’s recent decision to ally with UMNO for the upcoming Sabah State Elections presents a significant departure from its previous stance, which propelled it into power on the back of a public outcry against UMNO\/BN in the 2020 State Elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Petagas assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang said this pivot raises concerns about a perceived betrayal of the foundational principles that earned it wide support, particularly regarding the quest for greater autonomy and adherence to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, the MA63, a pivotal document in the history of Malaysia’s formation, remains a cornerstone in Borneo state politics, where non-compliance allegations have fostered feelings of neglect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Warisan had capitalised on this sentiment, promising a reinvigorated focus on Sabah\u2019s rights and aspirations as outlined in the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Now, however, its unexpected collaboration with UMNO, a former political adversary, runs the risk of alienating its base, casting doubts over its commitment to change and autonomy.”
He said this in his latest social media post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ligunjang opined that the political risk will be acute in demographics such as the Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun communities, whose support was critical to Warisan’s ascent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They gravitated towards the party for its reformist and inclusive platform. If this alliance is seen as a mere tactical manoeuvre for electoral advantage, it may jeopardise Warisan’s credibility and support, potentially altering the party\u2019s long-term prospects,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said this bold move by Warisan highlights the intricate dilemma that many political parties face: reconciling ideological tenets with the realpolitik of electioneering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The resolution to this issue will not only shape Warisan\u2019s destiny but may also indicate emerging dynamics in Sabah politics, especially now when Sabahans want to align with local-based parties that champion their rights as envisaged in the MA63.,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As election day approaches, Saod Warisan\u2019s leadership is tasked with a delicate balance: forging political alliances with Malayan parties while upholding the sacred trust of their voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Any missteps could have significant repercussions, affecting Warisan’s performance in the polls and influencing the representation and unity of Sabah’s multicultural society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The months ahead will put Warisan’s political dexterity and fidelity to its founding ideals to the test,” said Ligunjang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the future of Sabah lies with local-based parties coming together to remove the influence of Malayan political parties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah’s recent decision to ally with UMNO for the upcoming Sabah State Elections presents a significant departure from its previous stance, which propelled it into power on the back of a public outcry against UMNO\/BN in the 2020 State Elections. Former Petagas assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang said this pivot raises concerns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":25736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25735","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25735"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25737,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25735\/revisions\/25737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}