THE exclusion of 13 new Sabah state seats in the 14th general election is a clear indication that Barisan Nasional leaders fear losing, said state opposition leaders today.

Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong said the state BN is aware that it might lose in the new seats, which were approved by the state assembly on August 17, 2016.

State DAP adviser Jimmy Wong, who is also Kota Kinabalu MP, said BN fears a wave of Malay support in Sabah for the opposition due to reduced support for Umno by those loyal to former federal minister Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Shafie, a former Umno vice-president, now heads state opposition party Warisan.

“BN is worried that it might lose more parliamentary seats, and that is why it doesn’t want to include the 13 new seats,” said Wong.

The state assembly’s approval of the seats had raised the number of state constituencies from 60 to 73.

The new seats are Pintasan, within the Kota Belud parliamentary constituency, Tanjung Dumpil (Putatan), Pantai Dalit (Tuaran), Sungai Manila (Libaran), Lamag (Kinabatangan), Kukusan (Kalabakan), Bengkoka (Kudat), Darau (Sepanggar), Telupid (Beluran), Mengaris (Kota Marudu), Dambai (Papar), Tulid (Pensiangan) and Segama (Silam).

The proposed 13 state seats would see an additional six Muslim-majority seats, namely Pintasan, Tanjung Dumpil, Pantai Dalit, Sungai Manila, Lamag and Kukusan.

Sabah opposition leaders expressed surprise yesterday after the Dewan Rakyat approved the Election Commission’s re-delineation proposal that did not include the state’s 13 new seats.

A statement issued by Sabah State Secretary Sukarti Wakiman shortly afterwards clarified that the exclusion was due to an ongoing parliamentary seat revision being carried out by the EC.

Sabah DAP secretary Chan Foong Hin said the 13 seats had been crafted before Warisan emerged, therefore, BN may have miscalculated its chances of winning.

“During that time, the ruling elite thought it would give them a bigger advantage. Once there was the Warisan factor in Sabah politics, the added advantage would turn the other way around.

“The Muslim Bumiputera seats in the east coast may no longer be BN’s fixed deposits this time around.” – March 29, 2018.