COMMENT | On Feb 21, eight years have lapsed from the completion of the previous redelineation exercise of Sabah (2017). Hence, the Election Commission (EC) may choose to start the redelineation of Sabah anytime.

When the topic of electoral boundaries is raised for Sabah (and Sarawak too), the conversation can quickly be directed to the call for one-third representation in Dewan Rakyat. However, such conversation distracts from the real issue in Sabah - current electoral boundaries that discriminate against Sabahan voters.

Overview

In August 2016, the Sabah state assembly passed legislation to increase the state seat count from 60 to 73. In the following month, EC commenced the redelineation for Sabah which altered the boundaries of parliamentary and state constituencies.

The number of parliamentary constituencies remained the same...