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 KOTA KINABALU, September 24, 2016: "Hiew King Cheu is trying to defend the
indefensible proposed changes of electoral boundaries, especially between
Kapayan and Luyang state constituencies," says Sabah Progressive Party
(SAPP).
Its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said that Hiew's excuse on behalf of the
Election Commission that the transfer of 3,641 voters at Lido from Kapayan
to Luyang so that there will be a balance of voters between the new
Kapayan (23,773 voters) and the new Luyang (23,992) is nonsense.
"If there is a need to balance voters, then the balance could be achieved
by increasing the voters in Likas which has only 15,008 voters and Api Api
(only 14,451). Since Lido will be taken out of Kapayan, the increase of
3,641 voters in the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary area could be shared out
with Likas and Api Api such that each of the three state constituencies
will have about 18,000 voters. But this is not favoured by the BN because
it would turn Api Api back into a BN black area," Yong told.
"Before the last elections, in a desperate, but futile, attempt to save
himself, the then BN Api Api assemblyman had transferred three thousand
UMNO voters from Tanjong Aru and Sepanggar to Api Api turning Api Api into
a mixed-seat.
"Let's call a spade a spade. The transfer of 3,641 voters from Kapayan to
Luyang aims to reduce the number BN black areas, by making Kapayan
winnable for BN and sacrificing Luyang to the opposition. The plan by BN
to sacrifice Luyang shows that the BN has no intention to win back the
hearts and minds of the people.
"Indeed, the electoral boundaries review in the whole country shows that
the BN government has given up hope of winning the popular vote. It looks
like BN will now settle for a simple majority of seats at parliament and
state by gerrymandering of electoral constituencies, and by whatever
means, to retain political power without the need for popular support.
"It does not take a genius to figure out why out of the 13 new state
seats, 7 are UMNO-dominant, 3 are mixed with UMNO as the biggest block and
3 are rural KDM seats. Hiew King Cheu, should use his enormous experience
as ex-Sabah DAP leader, ex-MP and now a MCA Assemblyman to talk some sense
with the Election Commission," said Yong.
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