PARTI Warisan is officially a national party following the launch of its peninsula division today.

Party president Mohd Shafie Apdal said the party is setting out to build a nation and not a particular race or religion.

“There must be a choice for Malaysians in this country for the upcoming general election.

“We are providing a platform to enable changes to the political situation in the country.

“There must be a transition from a race- and religious-based political system to a more inclusive multiracialism system,” Shafie said at the launch of a national Warisan at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Shafie, a former Umno vice-president, formed Warisan in October 2016, a few months after he resigned from the country’s biggest Malay party following a dispute over the leadership of then president Najib Razak.

Although a relative newcomer to the political scene, Warisan has eight MPs and 19 assemblymen and a stronghold in Sabah.

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and activist lawyer Siti Kasim were among the guests at the launch.

Shafie said the political landscape must transition immediately to bring a change to the country. 

The former Sabah chief minister said he was disappointed with political parties using divisive race and religion tactics to their benefit.

He urged Malaysians of all races to keep their options open and not just blindly follow Umno, PAS or even DAP, adding that Warisan will be a multiracial party.

“We will provide the platform for our vision of multiculturalism and unity. It has been 60 years and we’re still not united.

“I want to say here that Malays won’t die if there’s no Umno, Muslims won’t be neglected without PAS, Chinese can exist without DAP. 

“There is no Umno in Indonesia, there is no PAS in Brunei, and no DAP in China. So, when you use race and religion (to drive politics) it is very divisive,” he said. 

“We are here to serve the people and country and want to put Malaysia on the right path,” he said.

Shafie said Malaysia was formed when all the races united. 

However, he said leaders now are more interested in power and position. 

“We should be driven by uniting the people not for greed to be prime minister,” said Shafie. – December 17, 2021.