When Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president and former chief minister Yong Teck Lee publicly accused some leaders of his state's ruling Barisan Nasional of being 'hasty' in disqualifying him as state assemblyperson after an Election Court decision on an election offence he committed, he must have had good reasons for saying so and must have known why, too.

Firstly, after the redelineation some three years ago of the Likas state constituency, which he had been representing since 1985 (when he was with Joseph Pairin Kitingan's Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS), Sabah Umno has always wanted that seat. Reason: It's a 65 percent Malay/Muslim-majority constituency.

If the size of its Malay/Muslim racial composition is used as the basis to allocate the seat, then it ought to go to Sabah Umno, first led by a former governor and chief minister Mustapha Harun soon after he dissolved his United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) in the early nineties.

But if it is based on personal popularity, then it is difficult using that ground to take it away from Yong, who enjoys popular support among the constituents.