Sort non-inclusion of 13 new Sabah seats before GE14 – PCS
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS), who filed an originating summons seeking a declaration for the non-inclusion of 13 new Sabah seats to be sorted out by the government before the upcoming 14th general election (GE14), told the High Court here yesterday that the parliamentary election can be done first as the state election can be held 60 days from the date of dissolution.
Counsel Datuk Lawrence Thien told reporters when met at the court that his clients, namely Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred M Bumburing, 67, who is the party president, together with Kalakau @ Kalakan Untol, 64, Petrus Francis Guriting, 63, Robert Sopining, 42, and Shalmon Sanangan, 42, had argued that after May 9 (polling day), the Prime Minister can table the Election Commission (EC) report on the 73 state seats and if it was approved the EC would go for 73.
Thien said that if it is rejected, the government could go back to 60 seats and by that time, the state election could still be held.
The oral reply to each submission was held in chambers before Justice Azhahari Kamal Ramli and the decision date which had been fixed earlier, was maintained on April 23.
In their written submission which was filed on April 16, it was submitted that Article 21 (4) of the Sabah State Constitution provided that wherever the Legislative Assembly is dissolved, a general election shall be held within 60 days from the date of dissolution (April 7).
The plaintiffs also submitted that the new Legislative Assembly, which are 73 elected members as stipulated under Article 14 (2) of the Sabah State Constitution, will be summoned to meet on a date not later than 120 days from the dissolution.
On April 5, the plaintiffs filed their summons naming the Chief Minister of Sabah, state government of Sabah, the Legislative Assembly of Sabah and Malaysia EC as first, second, third and fourth defendants, respectively.
PCS, among others, sought a declaration to revert the number of elected Sabah Legislative Assembly to 60, or the tabling of the report for the new total of 73 in parliament before the upcoming 14th general election (GE14) can be held in Sabah.