SEMPORNA, March 17 — Parti Warisan (Warisan) has decided not to contest in the six state elections in Peninsular Malaysia involving Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu.

Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the party would focus on strengthening its position in Sabah.

"I have informed party members that we have one state assemblyman there (Teratai assemblyman Bryan Lai Wai Chong), and I have advised them to help and not to contest. They accepted it well.

"I also met Ong Tee Keat in Kuala Lumpur, who (previously) contested the Pandan parliamentary seat. I also advised him (not to contest),” he told reporters after attending a Leader with People function here today.

Prior to this, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu agreed to dissolve their respective State Legislative Assembly in the last two weeks of June to pave the way for the state polls.

In the last 15th General Election, Warisan contested a total of 52 Parliamentary seats nationwide, with 25 seats in Sabah, one in Labuan, and the rest in the peninsula.

On parties wanting to cooperate with Warisan in the next Sabah state election, Mohd Shafie said they will consider it.

"We will consider because I don’t want later, not just YB (Yang Berhormat) (party) hopping, but we have helped the party and it that has 10 seats, and it also leaves us. So this needs to be scrutinised,” he said.

He also hopes the state government will table a motion on the anti-hopping bill at the Sabah state assembly so that a law can be created to teach a lesson not only to ‘party-hoppers’ but also to the party that accepts them.

"If the state government does not have the ability to table the bill, I have a ‘private bill’ that we can table and we will ask everyone to give their support,” he said.

Mohd Shafie said this was important to stop the culture of party-hopping which would disrupt the political situation in Sabah. — Bernama