KOTA KINABALU: A verification exercise should be conducted by the National Registration Department (NRD) to determine if new voters are holding genuine identity cards.
Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) deputy president Datuk Seri Clarence Bongkos Malakun said this was vital as the people in Sabah would be voting for the next government in GE15.
In a statement on Thursday (Oct 20), he said Sabahans want answers from the Election Commission (EC) and NRD on the spike in voter numbers in Sabah.
"This is very alarming and we have received many calls from people who want to know the truth.
"Perhaps, the EC and NRD are in the best position to explain," said Malakun, adding that suspicion about dubious voters and "Projek IC" remain.
He said the main concern for locals was non-Sabahans voting to decide the government.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), had several days earlier pointed out that the electoral roll released by the EC revealed a 53.9% increase in new voters in Sabah; from 1,064,686 in 2008 to 1,638,806 this year.
SAPP president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said that based on a preliminary review of the 2022 electoral roll, many new voters were aged above 30, with some in their 60s, and said it was suspicious that there were that many new middle-aged voters.
Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (Star Sabah) also expressed a similar opinion, saying they were perplexed over the spike in Keningau voters.
Party president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the number of voters had risen from 51,777 voters in 2018 to 87,371 in 2022, an increase of 68.7%.
He said there were fewer than 8,000 new voters who had been automatically registered in Keningau.
"There is no way we can have an increase of over 30,000 in just less than five years," he said.