Azmi Hassan, a former Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) lecturer, told FMT the Sabah-based party would bring a “breath of fresh air” to Peninsular Malaysia, where, he said, the gap between the races had been growing wider.

“Sabahans are different,” he said. “If they say, ‘We want to promote Malaysia for Malaysians,’ people will believe them.

“Sabah is what the peninsula was in the 1970s, when people of all races visited one another and ate together. We were more united then.”

Yesterday, Warisan president Shafie Apdal launched the party’s Peninsular Malaysia chapter in preparation for the next general election (GE15).

Azmi said the move might woo old voters wanting to relive their experience of racial and religious harmony and young voters wishing for the same experience.

He congratulated Warisan and Muda for deciding to work together in GE15.

“Muda needs some old hands. The mix of fresh faces and ideas from Muda with a political party that could deliver unity would work,” he said.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya (UM) said Warisan would need to raise more national issues than it already had so that it would no longer be seen as a party localised in Sabah.

“And it needs to explain how a Sabah-based party is better than PKR, DAP or Bersatu.”

He also said it was good that Warisan planned to work with Muda and Tawfik Ismail’s Gerak Independent to win over voters disillusioned with other coalitions.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said Warisan would likely get support from those disillusioned with Pakatan Harapan.