Shafie declares Warisan Sabah’s strongest force after sweeping popular vote; denies post-poll talks to form govt

Shafie declares Warisan Sabah’s strongest force after sweeping popular vote; denies post-poll talks to form govt



Warisan president (seated, second from left) Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal speaks during a press conference on November 30, 2025 after his party made significant gains as a solo party in the November 29 state election.

Sunday, 30 Nov 2025 3:21 PM MYT


KOTA KINABALU,Nov 30 — Warisan has proven it is the strongest Sabah-based political force, based on its performance in yesterday’s state election, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said today.

The Warisan president added that his party has also proven its ability by winning the popular vote across the 73 seats.

“As a solo party, Warisan received the most votes, which we feel cut across all races, but especially from the Chinese community,” he told reporters in a post-election session this afternoon.

He said Warisan was successful in securing the highest number of votes as a single party – 288,703, compared to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition’s 286,389 – despite facing what he described as rampant money politics and state and federal government machinery.


This reflected the continued confidence of Sabahans in a locally driven political leadership, he added.

He said Warisan’s mandate was built on its long-held position that Sabah must be led by local parties that understand local priorities, even while remaining open to cooperation at the federal level.

Shafie also emphasised that he had not met with any political leaders last night to negotiate the formation of the next government, but stopped short of conceding Warisan will play the role of Opposition in the state legislative assembly.


“I swear on God’s name, I did not meet with anyone, no meetings, no discussions, no negotiations,” he said when pressed about last night’s political alignments that went on well after midnight.

“We will meet them in the State Assembly,” he added.

Shafie expressed concern about the long-term political stability of the incoming government when asked about Warisan’s status as part of the Opposition pact.

He noted that past Sabah administrations have struggled to last to the full term of their mandates.

“The political situation in Sabah is always dynamic. We don’t know whether this government will last the five year term or not. But what is sure is the people’s voices will not be sidelined anymore,” he said.

Shafie also criticised the heavy use of government resources and alleged vote-buying during the campaign, saying Warisan’s gains were achieved despite the lack of funds and the odds against the party contesting wholly on its own.

“In some places, we saw personal private jets and were told of additional ballot papers. But whatever it is, the people voted,” he said, adding that Warisan’s increase from 14 to 25 seats showed a rejection of money politics.

He thanked voters, particularly young Sabahans and urban Chinese voters, saying the level of support for a local party was unprecedented in his political career — Warisan had a clean sweep of the urban seats.

Looking ahead, Shafie said Warisan’s elected representatives will focus on providing a credible local-based check and balance in both the state assembly and Parliament.

“In the State Assembly, we will continue to be the voice for the people, if there are issues that we think are not right and burden the people. I will also continue to bring these issues up to Parliament,” he said.

He reaffirmed Warisan’s commitment to developing new, younger leaders and maintaining a clean, corruption-free platform.

“We have a responsibility to the mandate given. Warisan will continue to be the local voice that will fight for Sabah,” he said.