I condemn Sabah state secretary Sukarti Wakiman’s statement that the increase of 13 new state seats is expected to be tabled in Parliament simultaneously with the increase of parliamentary constituencies upon completion of a study by the Election Commission.
The justification given by Sukarti is nothing more than to seek for excuse, to justify the ‘freezing’ of the new 13 seats.
It’s imply ironical to explain in such a way, as BN doesn’t have two-thirds majority in Parliament now to give it the convenience to have seat redelineation which could increase the number of parliamentary seats.
If BN really wants to increase parliamentary seats in Sabah, and by knowing that it cannot, why should the BN be in a hurry to pass the bill and gazette it in the state legislative in 2016?
I see the holding back of Sabah’s state seat redelineation report as the fear of Sabah BN in losing the new seats.
Warisan was not in existence in August 2016, when the Sabah state assembly approved the motion to increase the number of state seats from 60 to 73.
The party was established two months later in October.
The ruling elites thought that the seats would give them a higher advantage. Now, with the Warisan factor in Sabah politics, the added advantage would turn the other way round.
The Muslim bumiputera seats in the Sabah east coast might not be BN fixed deposits this time round.
Of the 13 new state seats proposed, six are Muslim-majority constituencies.
Initially BN thought that these seats were fixed deposits. But Shafie is withdrawing it now.
So the only truth behind the scene is Sabah BN has no confidence to have the extra 13 state seats.