Editor's note: First paragraph has been corrected.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for Warisan since it was formed in 2016. The party formed a government in Sabah barely two years later, only to let it slip when a snap election was forced in September 2020.

Although the party is still licking its wounds, recent events suggest that the party is setting sights on an even bigger prize.

On March 24, Warisan president Shafie Apdal "premiered" a video clip on his Facebook page with the title "Never lose hope".

The three-minute video was interspersed with scenes of various races and ethnicities of Malaysians against the backdrop of both Kuala Lumpur and Warisan's home base of Sabah.

At one point, the camera then cuts to a wide shot of the federal capital’s skyline before we see Shafie, sat in front of the Malaysian and the Sabah flags, addressing the people of Malaysia about unity and perseverance...