Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's decision not to table Sabah's redelineation report in Parliament has raised questions as to the possible reasons behind it.

Political analyst Wong Chin Huat said there was speculation that the redelineation exercise in Sabah had resulted in over-representation of the Bajau community, which would in turn benefit Parti Warisan Sabah.

Of Bajau descent, Warisan's founder and president Mohd Shafie Apdal commands considerable support from the Bajau community.

Sabah DAP secretary Chan Foong Hin noted how the 13 proposed Sabah state seats were crafted before the 'Warisan factor' came into the picture.

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.

Chan sees the holding back of Sabah's state seat redelineation report as the fear of Sabah BN in losing the new seats.

“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,” he added.

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,” added Chan, the assemblyperson for Sri Tanjong.

'BN Sabah not confident'

He also hit out at Sabah state secretary Sukarti Wakiman, who said 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 simply 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?

“So the only truth behind the scene is Sabah BN has no confidence to have the extra 13 state seats,” Chan said.

Apart from the redelineation report supposedly benefiting Warisan, some are also of the opinion that it was Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman himself who did not want the report to be tabled.

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking believes that Musa must have been “disappointed” when Najib did not table the Sabah redelienation report.

“I speculate that they are afraid of the electoral outcome of the 13 new Sabah state seats and at the same time, maybe they plan to cause a legal problem if Sabah holds an election only for 60 out of 73 seats.”

However, Leiking said it was clear that Najib should have tabled the report in Parliament, citing Article Nine of the Federal Constitution.

“The prime minister 'shall submit', hence he cannot deny submitting it and the prime minister has no right to deny it.

“Only Parliament can reject the study. Hence he ‘shall submit’ once the EC submits it to him,” added Leiking.

Without tabling the Sabah redelineation exercise, it is clear that the old boundaries and number of seats in Sabah will be used in the 14th general election.