Malaysian state polls results trigger false claim about solidarity of unity government

"The Warisan Party has announced its withdrawal from the unity government. The domino effect from Pakatan Harapan's series of deeply embarrassing state election defeats is expected to spread nationwide soon!" says a Malay-language Facebook post shared on August 3, 2026.

Attached to the post is a purported statement from the Sabah state-based party, bearing its logo and supposedly issued by secretary-general Loretto Padua.

The document says the decision to withdraw was taken "following careful deliberation and discussions across all levels of party leadership and grassroots."

"Based on recent state election results and its political assessment, Warisan believes there is a growing challenge regarding public confidence in the leadership of the unity government," it adds.

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Screenshot of the false post captured on August 13, 2026, with a red X added by AFP

The document was also shared in similar Facebook and TikTok posts in the weeks after stinging defeats for Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition in state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan at the hands of Barisan Nasional (archived link).

Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, other regional alliances and parties like Warisan together form Malaysia's unity government, which brought together former rival groups after Anwar's coalition failed to secure enough seats for a simple majority in parliamentary elections in 2022 (archived link).

Analysts say the results of the two state elections do not immediately alter Anwar's grip on power nationally, but they could encourage major shifts in political alliances ahead of the next general elections, due by February 2028.

There have been no official announcements, however, that the Warisan Party was pulling out of the unity government.

A keyword search on Google found the party had refuted the claims in an August 3 Facebook post that called the circulating statement "forged" and "slanderous" (archived link).

"These parties are not only bold enough to spread slander but also to forge Warisan documents as if they were official statements from the secretary-general," reads the Malay-language post.

An analysis of the falsified statement shows its formatting differs from genuine statements issued by the party (archived link).

The fonts used in the documents are different, and official statements do not contain a title or contact details at the bottom. The party's official announcements are also usually endorsed by the party’s president.

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Screenshot comparison of the fabricated statement (L) and a genuine Warisan Party statement

AFP has previously debunked other false claims that relied on fabricated documents.