KOTA KINABALU, Oct 17 — The party taken over by former Umno vice president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal will be renamed Parti Warisan Sabah and feature a sailboat as its logo.
The Semporna MP announced the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) approval for the party this morning.
“The Ros confirmed and approved our party from its existing shell — Parti Pembangunan Warisan Sabah — but we are changing it to Parti Warisan Sabah or to be known as Warisan.
“It will be a Sabah-based multiracial party,” he told reporters outside the RoS office in Putrajaya.
The party’s interim committee includes two federal lawmakers and three assemblymen.
Shafie said the party’s annual general meeting has been conducted and the pro tem deputy president is Penampang MP Darell Leiking.
The three vice presidents are Sulabayan state assemblyman Datuk Jaujan Sambakong, Likas state assemblyman and former Sarawak DAP secretary Junz Wong, and Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) Malaysia President Datuk Peter Anthony.
The secretary-general is former PKR member Loretto Padua Jr.
Describing the party’s logo as carrying the people’s hopes for change, he said that the takeover was organised by Leiking and that they will announce more details on the party soon.
“We have gone to the ground and the feedback has been supportive. They want a local voice for Sabah. We will be looking to make changes to our autonomy and distribution of wealth,” he said.
Shafie also said that they have yet to discuss who to ally with, but were open to all parties who wanted to replace the current state government.
“We will look at all. What is important — what we are sure we want is — we want to change the Sabah government. We cannot say we discussed with all, no. We have yet to sit down with everyone, but if they are willing to topple current government — why not? The interest is there,” he said.
Shafie denied that his party would only serve to split the opposition vote and said it was up to the people who they wanted to vote for.
“We have seen many struggles in other countries with thousands of parties. But as long as the people are united, and the party has their support, that is all they need,” he said.
