“It seems Warisan is hiding behind the slogan Perjuangan Rakyat while asking the rakyat, whom they said they are fighting for, to pay for their struggle,” said Sabah Umno deputy information chief Ramlee Marahaban.
“This is the same party that went around asking for donations to pay for the legal expenses of their president Shafie Apdal when he was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission last year,” he told FMT.
Warisan said the Perjuangan Rakyat app, to be launched soon, aims to enable direct communication between the party and the people, especially the tech-savvy younger generation.
It would also enable the public to contribute cash for the party’s cause in a transparent way and allow users to keep abreast of issues raised by Warisan through news reports and videos.
Ramlee, who is the Bugaya assemblyman, said he found it amusing that since Warisan was formed in 2016, the party has not managed to keep to its original ideals.
“Their slogans change according to the whims of their leaders. Ubah Sabah (Change Sabah), then Sabahans for Sabah, and now People’s Cause. They keep changing and tweaking their own directions.
“Doesn’t this show they are just toying with the people? Because in the end, they only want to collect money from the public. It is a bad tactic because the intention behind it is bad,” he said.
Ramlee, who is also Sabah assistant finance minister, said any genuine political party that wants to fight for the rights of the people should have enough resources to pay for its own activities and campaigns without resorting to crowdfunding.
Political parties, he said, should help reduce the burden of the people instead of adding to their problems by asking for money using rhetorical slogans.
“No matter how one looks at it, including the crowdfunding for Shafie’s bail money, what Warisan is doing is still taking money directly from the people,” he said.