The Heritage Party (Malay: Parti Warisan; abbrev: WARISAN) is a multi-racial political party in Malaysia which was rebranded and renamed from the Sabah Heritage Party (Malay: Parti Warisan Sabah), a Sabah-based party led by Shafie Apdal formed earlier on 17 October 2016 after its expansion into national level politics at the end of 2021.[1][2][3]
History
The party formed an electoral allies with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 2018 general election (GE14). Its President Shafie Apdal promised that the party would be represented within the federal cabinet if PH was elected to power.[4][5] adding that through the electoral pact they will "only work together, not joining the PH pact as their party will only contest in Sabah".[6] The party became part of the ruling bloc and federal government when PH won the 2018 general election but left the coalition in April 2021, 13 months after the Pakatan Harapan coalition was ousted from government.[7]
Following the 2020 election, Warisan became the largest opposition party of the State Legislative Assembly and the Chief Minister before state election and its President Shafie Apdal became the new state Leader of the Opposition after being ousted in the state election. At its annual general meeting on 12 December 2020, members voted in favour of elevating the party from a state to a national party, as a way forward to integrate East Malaysia into decision-making for the entire nation. Following this announcement, the party was renamed the Heritage Party (Parti Warisan).[9][10]
Warisan officially began its expansion into Peninsula Malaysia on 17 December 2021 with the launch of its peninsula chapter, which would be collaborating with MUDA. At the same event, the party leader also hinted that a Peninsula Malaysian assemblyperson would be joining the party.[3] Eventually, on 22 January 2022, Bryan Lai Wai Chong, the Selangor assemblyman for Teratai joined the party to become its first peninsula assemblyperson,[11] followed two days later by Danny Law Heng Kiang from DAP Penang and Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi.[12] In February 2022, UMNO's former Kukup assemblyman Suhaimi Salleh joined the party to be its Johor state elections coordinator for the upcoming 12 March elections.[13]
On 15 February 2022, Warisan announced that they would contest in the 2022 Johor state election as a test for their support in the Peninsula.[14] Besides their Johor coordinator, ex-UMNO assemblyman Suhaimi Salleh, Warisan recruited former Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) Central Working Committee (CWC) member Datuk Seri S. Sunther - son of ex-MIC Vice President Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam and former GERAKAN Johor Women's Chief Wong Siew Poh to assist Suhaimi in the election.[15] Eventually, candidates from Warisan contested in 6 of the 56 state assembly seats on offer, but failed to win any.[16]
^"Warisan and Pakatan Harapan team up in Sabah for Malaysia elections". The Straits Times. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018. Mr Shafie said that Warisan was not contesting in Peninsular Malaysia, but is ready to work with Pakatan Harapan (PH), without a pact, at the national level. We are a multi-racial party, we don't want to follow the PH coalition style in Peninsular Malaysia. When they form the government in Putrajaya, we will have ministers in the federal cabinet from Warisan and the Warisan (Sabah state) government will also have ministers from PH. Speaking to more than 5,000 party members at the assembly with the theme "In God We Trust, Change We Must", he urged all of them to prepare for the election.
