PETALING JAYA: Former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal has confirmed that Warisan and Sabah Umno will work together for the next state election.
The Warisan president said Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin had already agreed to the partnership.
The two parties are set to take on the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, led by chief minister Hajiji Noor.
Shafie said they had invited Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku and Parti Bersatu Sabah to team up with them, but that the two GRS components rejected their offer.
“But when I discussed it with Bung, there was no problem. So we are working together on the basis of defending the people of Sabah.
“He is also an old friend. I was formerly his boss (when Shafie was an Umno vice-president), but I’m not a party-hopper, I was sacked by the party,” he said at Warisan’s annual general assembly in Kota Kinabalu today.
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Bung, the Kinabatangan MP and Lamag assemblyman, also attended the event where he was warmly welcomed by Warisan delegates.
Previously, Bung said Sabah Umno was also considering forming a partnership with Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, the party led by former Warisan veep Peter Anthony.
The term of the current Sabah state government will expire in October 2025. However, Hajiji has hinted at the possibility of the next state elections being held as early as next year.
In January, Bung led a failed attempt to remove Hajiji as chief minister, withdrawing support for the GRS chairman when Sabah Umno was a part of the state administration.
Sabah Umno was reported to be in advanced talks with Shafie to unseat Hajiji’s government.
The move failed to materialise after six Sabah Umno assemblymen refused to lend their support. Hajiji then obtained the support of Sabah Pakatan Harapan, enabling GRS to remain in power.
