Parti Warisan Sabah will contest in six seats in next month’s Johor election.
Warisan has announced six candidates for the Johor elections, five of whom are contesting seats previously held by Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The five seats previously held by PH are Bekok, Johor Jaya and Pekan Nanas (DAP), Mahkota (Amanah), and Bukit Batu (PKR).
Permas was a Bersatu seat.
Warisan’s announcement means it will face off with its federal-level allies, as DAP will be defending its three seats, as will Amanah and PKR.
Shafie Apdal, the president of the Sabah-based party, said its lineup comprised fresh faces.
“We have lawyers, a double masters holder, businessmen, a non-governmental organisation leader and the son of a former Johor state secretary.
“But what is important is that all of them are ‘anak Johor’ (people of Johor),” he said in his speech during the announcement of Warisan’s candidates at a hotel in Johor Bahru on Friday (Feb 25).
“We are contesting in the election to provide another choice for the people. We want to have a strong opposition in the state assembly so that there is check-and-balance in the state legislature.
“We are also using this election as preparation for the next general election, which is just around the corner. We want to prepare a proper structure for the party,” said Shafie.
He said the party did not want to be aligned with any other and would use its own campaign infrastructure in the Johor polls.
“What we want to do is be aligned with the people of Johor and at the same time change the political landscape here,” he said.
Asked why Warisan chose to contest in the six seats, he said the party wanted to gauge its capabilities.
“Actually, there are a lot of individuals who offered themselves to contest in the election. Most of them are professionals, but we choose to contest in six seats because we want to gauge ourselves,” he said.
The party will field Hishamuddin Busri in Pekan Nenas, Sandara Segaran Arumugam (Bekok), Chen Hain Kai (Johor Jaya), Mohamed Noor Suleiman (Mahkota), Lee Ming Wen (Bukit Batu) and Mohamed Ridza Bush (Permas).
Shafie also voiced his confidence that the party would be able to win the seats it is contesting.
“After spending a few days in Johor and meeting with the people here, I am confident that there is support for Warisan.
“This is not an easy challenge, but we want to make sure the people’s voice is heard. What’s important is not to have the loudest voice, but the content and value of what is being voiced.
“Of course, we are contesting to win, but please remember that we are here to also build a nation,” said Shafie.