Warisan To Require Rm10m Bond From Candidates To Deter Defections

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Candidates contesting under Warisan’s banner in the upcoming Sabah election will be required to sign an RM10 million bond to deter defections, said party president Shafie Apdal.
The former Sabah chief minister said the move was aimed at curbing the entrenched culture of party hopping that has destabilised previous state governments, including Warisan’s administration in the past.
“When they use our party logo, we put RM10 million bonds there to bind them, to prevent them from contesting later and from turning politics into an arena for rewards and profit,” he told reporters in Kota Kinabalu after launching the party’s election slogan today.
Shafie said Warisan’s constitution already provides for the automatic loss of membership and seats if elected representatives leave or are expelled.
The bond, he added, would reinforce these provisions with a financial deterrent.
At the same time, Shafie said Warisan would not shut its doors to former members who wish to return but stressed they would not be fielded as candidates - including those who had previously won seats under the party’s banner.
“If they want to join, we do not reject them, but they cannot be candidates,” he said, emphasising the need to reject political opportunism and repeated defections.
A total of 13 out of 29 Warisan assemblypersons defected after the 2020 Sabah election.
Meanwhile, the party today launched its new slogan “Selamatkan Sabah” (Save Sabah), accompanied by a red, white, and blue logo.
“In this struggle, there must be unity - not only of spirit or speech, but the slogan that exists to bind, wanting to save Sabah,” Shafie said.
He explained that launching the slogan before finalising seat allocations was intended to ensure message consistency across the state. - Mkini

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