JOHOR BARU: Parti Warisan will consider contesting in Johor if a state election is called and it gets a strong signal from the community, says its vice-president Datuk Junz Wong ( pic).

       “We may not have enough time as we expect that the state election could be called in March but we will leave it (Warisan's participation) to our leadership to decide.

       “If we sit out the Johor election, we will focus on the 15th General Election (GE15),” he said, adding that Warisan would field local candidates instead of bringing them in from other states.

       Wong also urged the 250,000-strong Borneo community living in the peninsula to change their voting address to their present location before GE15.

       If they do not intend to go back and vote, it is better for them to change their address and cast their votes where they live, he told a press conference after accepting the membership application of former Gerakan Wanita vice-chief Wong Siew Poh here on Thursday (Jan 13).

       “There is a strong Borneo community in several states and we believe that we can get their support to contest in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

       Warisan had received positive response since expanding to Peninsular Malaysia where it has 85 branches so far, he added.

       He also hinted that more prominent politicians from the peninsula would be joining Warisan, claiming that a leader from Penang who would lend a "wow factor" to the party would come on board after Chinese New Year.

       Warisan, a multiracial party that started as a Sabah-based party in 2016, expanded its wings to Peninsular Malaysia last year.

       Its president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said the party will contest in GE15 and that Warisan wanted to move away from the current political system based on race and religion.