Big Tent With Race Based Parties Should Be Rejected Shafie

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Citing BN as an example, Warisan president Shafie Apdal has reportedly said that Malaysia should learn from its mistakes by rejecting race-based parties and the ‘big tent’ approach.
According to a report by The Star, he said BN component parties are sidelined by one dominant party.
“The choice is no longer a ‘big tent’. Why do you think Warisan made its foray into Peninsular Malaysia? We (Warisan) want to provide the choice for voters in this country.
“Why not? The history of politics in Sabah showed a party like Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) can win without a ‘big tent’,” he was quoted as saying.
He reportedly said this at the launch of the party’s annual general meeting in Penampang, Sabah, today.
He also said that parties that champion only certain groups of people or a particular race are not sustainable, according to the report.
For the 15th general election, he said Warisan will contest all 25 parliamentary constituencies in Sabah, though it is open to working with PSB.
The party will also contest seats in Peninsular Malaysia, but not in Sarawak where it plans to collaborate with local parties in the state, he said.
He added that there is no reason why the Sabah-based Warisan cannot be accepted in Peninsular Malaysia.
He pointed out that PAS could contest in Johor although its stronghold is in Kelantan, while Penisular-based DAP and PKR could contest in Sarawak.
“Moving forward, there must be inclusiveness in the political arena,” he was quoted as saying. - Mkini

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