LABUAN: Sabah’s Indian community deserves better recognition like a Senatorship or Nominated Assembly seat if true that there are sizeable Indian voters, including 16,000 in Kudat alone.
Political activist Lau Seng Kiat said the 16,000 voters is a phenomenal figure compared to four years ago and likened it to making instant noodles.
“This means that in Kudat alone, the Indian population had surpassed the population of other sub-ethnic groups in Sabah,” he said.
“If the statistics of the Election Commission are true and reliable representation in the Sabah Assembly may be necessary for Indians like it used to be from 1963 until 1967 when Sabah had its first state elections.
Lau was referring to remarks by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Penampang chief Senator Datuk John Ambrose who expressed concern over the drastic jump in the number of voters in Kudat constituency which comprised Banggi, Tanjung Kapar and Pitas.
“I thought the total Indian population in Sabah was not well above 10,000,” said Lau.
Under the new 2022 stations of the EC, Kudat has 52,259 voters compared to 23,256 in 2008 - a jump by 44.5pc.
Among those who smelled a rat over the EC figures were Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidarity Tanahairku (Star) and SAPP.
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