Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Lee Kuok Tiung and Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Sazalye’s departure was a “minor loss” for PKR, particularly since he lost both his party posts earlier this year.

Sazalye was Sabah PKR secretary until he lost his position as Kota Marudu division chief during party elections in April.

Lee said PKR would have suffered a major blow only if Sazalye had strong grassroots support or was a “major vote-getter”, but the party’s divisional poll results suggested otherwise.

He said it was “very common” for parties to take in leaders and members from their rivals as election season approaches — a tactic aimed at projecting popularity and dominance.

“I expect his entry into Warisan to yield minimal impact unless additional supporting factors come into play. Many defections or entries of figures during the election season end up being symbolic rather than a determining factor.

“It is more likely a small loss for PKR and a modest boost for Warisan, rather than a game-changer,” he told FMT.

Awang Azman said Sazalye’s record at elections has been poor, losing the Matunggong state seat twice — by 1,687 votes in 2018, and 2,689 votes in 2020, when he came out third-best.

He added that his PKR election defeat showed he lacked influence in his original party.

“These are signs that he doesn’t have that big an influence on voters. In the world of politics, influence can be interpreted through party posts, winning seats, grassroots networks, sources, and visibility in the media.

“In Sazalye’s case, he may have the background and experience, but he lacks influence,” he said.

Awang Azman added that voters would be sceptical of Sazalye’s defection to Warisan, which could simply be perceived as “yet another old figure changing parties”.