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Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Warisan will have trouble getting Chinese votes, says ex-Wanita chief
Norazlinah Arif says Warisan's exit from Pakatan Harapan in the run up to the 15th general election has complicated its relationship with Chinese voters. KOTA KINABALU : A former Warisan leader says the party may face difficulty securing support from Chinese voters in Sabah due to several unpopular decisions made during its tenure in government, including perceived favouritism towards certain communities in public sector appointments. Norazlinah Arif, the party's former Wanita chief, claimed there was internal dissatisfaction with Shafie Apdal's leadership between May 2018 and September 2020, particularly over the appointment of state department heads. The Kunak assemblywoman said Warisan failed to uphold its own 'unity' slogan when it ran government, instead allowing widespread nepotism in appointments to senior positions. 'It's not just the Chinese. Other races also do not feel Warisan is fighting for Sabah anymore,' she told FMT. Norazlinah Arif. Norazlinah, who left Warisan on Feb 6, 2023, said the party's decision to exit Pakatan Harapan and contest the 15th general election independently has complicated its relationship with Chinese voters. GE15 saw Warisan lose the Penampang and Sepanggar seats to PH. Ahead of the upcoming Sabah polls, Shafie recently unveiled the party's new 'Save Sabah' slogan, positioning Warisan as a Sabah party to win voters over. However, Norazlinah said such rhetoric would only lead Warisan to repeat its defeat in the 2020 state election, when the party lost control of the Sabah administration. 'How can we believe in a party, which was supposedly established on the basis of unity, but only focuses on certain communities?' she said. Mohammad Mohamarin, another assemblyman who left Warisan together with Norazlinah, said the 'Save Sabah' slogan fails to address basic issues such as water, electricity and roads. Mohammad Mohamarin. The Banggi representative said the party's narrative makes Sabah seem like it is in dire straits, even though chief minister Hajiji Noor has been working hard to resolve the state's longstanding issues. 'In the Warisan state government, we waited for over two years for initiatives to resolve these issues. We were forced to meet with the chief minister (Shafie) but received no aid. 'The current (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) state government has implemented many initiatives, so the notion that Warisan will 'save Sabah' is not accurate,' said the former Warisan supreme council member.
Free Malaysia Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Quit BN but don't join PN, says MCA division leader
MCA's grassroots have called for the party to withdraw from BN amid discontent over its role in the federal administration. PETALING JAYA : An MCA division leader has backed calls for the party to quit Barisan Nasional, but objects to it joining the opposition Perikatan Nasional. Sungai Petani MCA chief Cheng Joo Choi said joining PN would only lead to MCA being perceived as hopping between coalitions, which would further hamper support from Chinese voters, Sin Chew Daily reported. Cheng said MCA must abandon old mindsets and models, and rebuild itself as an independent party in the opposition. 'MCA can no longer just blindly follow orders. We cannot keep working hard without any control over the political game. 'Last year, our division officially passed a resolution to withdraw from BN, but it was not adopted at the state convention. Today, we raise it again because the situation demands a decisive move more than ever before,' he was quoted as saying. He said MCA has been constrained ever since BN joined the unity government, with the party given a vague role while Umno and Pakatan Harapan integrated their resources and fastened their grip on power. Cheng said MCA cannot keep relying on political 'handouts', and that, without the trust of Chinese voters, the party would not be able to support any form of political partnership. 'If MCA can't even secure its own voter base, how can it talk about partnerships? Alliances are, at their core, mutual exchanges of interests. 'We need Malay votes, they need Chinese votes, but if we've lost the trust of the Chinese community, what's the point of the exchange?' This meant that MCA must go back to being focussed on the needs of the Chinese community, he said. Cheng pointed out that former MCA president Liow Tiong Lai and current deputy president Mah Hang Soon had poured a lot of resources into their election campaigns in 2022, but still failed to win their contests. 'This proves that without support from the Chinese community, everything is in vain,' he said. There have been growing calls from MCA's grassroots for the party to withdraw from BN amid discontent over its role in the federal administration. MCA's leadership has said its next course of action would be based on what the grassroots decide on in their annual general meetings (AGM) at the division level. Last week, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said the party would wait for the AGM for its decision on its future in the unity government.
