LABUAN, Nov 26 — Parti Warisan has expressed openness to forming a strategic alliance with Umno in the upcoming 17th Sabah state election.

Warisan supreme council member Datuk Mohd Yusof Apdal said as long as there was compatibility between the two parties, Warisan was open to the possibility.

"Warisan is a party that is open to any cooperation with any parties that understand the party’s struggle for the people in Sabah and Labuan...even now, Warisan is already in alliance with Umno in the Federal Government,” he said at a press conference after officiating the Labuan Warisan Division Annual General Meeting here today.

He said the decision to cooperate would be subject to the alignment of goals and priorities between the two parties.

However, he said the potential collaboration between Warisan and Umno is not impossible, and the decision would be finalised by the party leadership when the time comes.

"Currently, the priority for Warisan is to strengthen its presence in all branches and divisions...it is our party’s mission and vision to be consistent in our struggles that are for the rights of the people and the state,” Mohd Yusof said.

Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin had on Nov 19 said Sabah Umno was not ruling out the possibility of working together with Warisan and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) in the next state election, however, he said that it was still too early to make any firm commitments.

"As I said before, BN and Umno only cooperate with any parties having a common objective in championing the rights of the Sabahans,” Bung said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Yusof said Warisan’s current focus was on uniting its members to bring stability ahead of the state election.

He urged all party members to align with the leadership and concentrate on addressing the people’s issues and agendas, particularly focusing on young voters, with a call for reduced politicking in the service of the people. — Bernama