PENANG, where Gerakan hopes to make a comeback in the 15th general election, will not give Parti Warisan Sabah much support, Gerakan president Dominic Lau said.

He said although Warisan portrays itself as a multiracial party, it is unlikely to gain support, particularly among Malay voters.

“Warisan is no threat in Penang. Even if it runs for a state seat, the odds are half, with Penang Chinese voters possibly accepting Warisan.

“But it is unlikely to threaten the current parties in Penang,” said Lau in an interview with The Malaysian Insight.

Gerakan has a long history in Penang, the state where it was founded, and has retained the chief minister’s post until its worst electoral defeat in the 2008 general election. From then on, DAP has run the state.

DAP recently lost a few former elected representatives to Warisan, which has expanded from its base in Sabah to the peninsula.

Although there are frustrated Gerakan members “inclined” to join Warisan, Lau said he was not worried.

“I am not worried that (Gerakan leaders or party members) will join Warisan, I believe that Gerakan members choose their party based on core values, and we still uphold the spirit of Anak Malaysia, regardless of race, religion and culture.”

“As long as our party’s core values still exist, party members will not leave Gerakan. If someone does leave to join Warisan, I can only bless them.”

Warisan’s Penang coordinator Jeff Ooi, formerly with DAP and MP for Jelutong, said last week that Warisan has an advantage in some 10 seats in the state.

“We will focus on the Malay constituencies. The Malay vote is now divided. There are Umno, Bersatu, Amanah and PKR. How we break out of the siege is where the opportunity lies,” said Ooi.

Lau said that Gerakan has been in Penang for so many years, and has never given up on winning back the state.

“As for whether Warisan will fight in the future, and whether Gerakan will run for the 40 Penang seats in the next general election, it still depends on the situation,” said Lau.

Besides Ooi, other former DAP figures who recently joined the Sabah party are former Penang executive councillor Danny Law and current Selangor assemblyman Bryan Lai.

Lai holds the Teratai seat in Selangor and quit the party last year to become an independent. – January 29, 2022.