‘We want Warisan’s blessing’
Muhyiddin: Bersatu will not enter Sabah politics if local party says no
PETALING JAYA: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia will only enter Sabah if Parti Warisan Sabah gives it the green light to do so, says Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He added his party would not set up shop in Sabah merely to get more seats.
“If all (Sabahans who want to join Bersatu) can join Warisan, it will be easier. But if they want to join Bersatu, we will consult Warisan first before setting up our branches there,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
Muhyiddin said the priority is to ensure the Warisan-led Sabah government is strengthened, and not to break it just for the sake of more seats for Bersatu.
“Sabahans are impatiently waiting for us to enter. I have met Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Warisan president) as we have promised (during the last general election) that we will not expand to Sabah.
“We wanted Warisan to be the place for Sabahans. The strategy was right then and we won as we did not clash and we were together.
“As there are now requests from people there that they want us to set up Bersatu there, we have to be careful,” he added.
He was commenting on 2,000 Sabahans residing in Peninsular
Malaysia who submitted their application forms to join Bersatu in Shah Alam on Sunday.
But some Warisan leaders have expressed concern that Bersatu is going back on their promise not to expand its wings to Sabah.
Muhyiddin said Bersatu would not set up divisions in Sabah
without consideration for Warisan as this may divide votes during the general election.
“We must make sure there is no contest against them (Warisan). We will lose when votes are divided. These are strategy issues which we have to consider,” he added.
Muhyiddin said Bersatu would also tread carefully when setting up branches in Sarawak and consider the views of pro-Pakatan Harapan parties there.
He added if the party was not cautious, issues such as Petronas royalty distribution would be affected.
“Discussions of tying up with Sarawakian parties have yet to begin. There are also DAP, PKR and Amanah there and we will be the fourth party.
“Perhaps one or two divisions only can be set up; we have no intention of expanding to the whole of Sarawak,” said Muhyiddin.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched Sarawak Bersatu on Dec 1.
We must make sure there is no contest against them (Warisan). We will lose when votes are divided. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin