ALOR STAR: Parti Warisan (Warisan) said it will not contest all parliamentary seats in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Its president, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, said his party was aware of its strength and planned to only focus on a number of seats.
The former Sabah chief minister also declined to reveal which seats Warisan will contest in.
"We will not contest all 222 parliamentary seats because we are aware of the strength and capabilities of this party, and all that needs to be considered.
"We need to be orderly and thorough, rather than competing for many seats, but not winning. It is better for us to focus on competing in only two or three seats that can give us victory," he said at a press conference here today.
Earlier he launched the state chapter of the party, which saw the attendance of Kedah Warisan chairman Datuk Fadzil Hanafi and his deputy, Dr Mohamed Ibnu Hassan Thalha.
Meanwhile, Shafie said his party was strengthening its position and was not planning to collaborate with a coalition.
He said it was important to prove that Warisan had strength without having to rely on other parties, especially at the national level.
"Many are in contact (to work together), that's normal, but for now we want to strengthen our own house, whose stairs have to be stolen, windows need to be bought, repaired first and strengthened.
"There is no sense in us joining (in a coalition) when the party is not yet strong. We do not want to hitch a ride with other parties, which will be as if we are begging until it leads to problems in the future," he said.
Shafie, who is Semporna member of parliament, said people in the peninsula had given Warisan, which has roots in Sabah, an encouraging response.
"During the launch of Warisan in Penang yesterday, there were two senior bank officers and two specialist doctors who joined us. In Perlis, we had a former speaker of the state assembly join the party.
"These are capable individuals. They will not join Warisan if the party is not seen as an alternative for national development," he said.