Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) has dismissed any possibility of rekindling its partnership with former ally Parti Warisan.
PKR deputy information chief Razeef Rakimin said past collaborations with Warisan had left a “bitter taste,” describing the party as “egotistical and arrogant,” making any alliance untenable.
Razeef highlighted the 2018 general election as the key moment when PH and Warisan joined forces to unseat the Barisan Nasional government in Sabah.
However, the partnership was already disintegrating before Parti Warisan administration was ousted in the 2020 state snap election, which brought Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to power.
While Warisan was never formally part of the PH coalition, it always maintained a friendly alliance at the time.
News reports indicate that tensions between PKR and Warisan were already brewing after securing the Sabah government under the Warisan-led administration.
In 2020, Razeef had accused Warisan of monopolizing appointments and sidelining PH allies – PKR, DAP and Amanah, as well as Upko.
He claimed that Sabah PH sacrificed numerous parliamentary and state seats in the 2018 elections, only to be “bullied” by Warisan.
Their rift widened during the 2020 state election when Sabah PKR initially announced plans to contest 14 seats days before the then Warisan-Plus cooperation formally announced its candidates.
PKR agreed to only contest in seven seats.
While DAP agreed to contest under Warisan’s logo, PKR declined, highlighting a friction within the alliance at the time.
Tensions flared again during Sabah’s political crisis in early 2023 when PH, including PKR and Upko, decided to switch sides from the opposition to support GRS leader Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Their decision helped Hajiji retain power despite Warisan’s backing of PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government following the 2022 general election.
Razeef also noted Warisan’s “Sabah for Sabahans” slogan as divisive and incompatible with PH’s national agenda.
He also questioned Warisan’s credibility as a locally-based party, pointing to its decision to contest seats in Peninsular Malaysia previously.
“Warisan’s chant of ‘unity’ only divides people,” Razeef said, adding that PKR has learned to be more cautious after being “trampled on several times” by its former ally. – January 28, 2025.
