PKR man's proposal to merge KL, Selangor to strengthen 'Chinese DAP' grip on state, says ex-minister

A former minister today said that any move to merge Kuala Lumpur with Selangor would result in the state's legislative assembly getting at least 24 additional non-Malay majority seats, an outcome that he said would benefit DAP.

Mohd Zin Mohamed, who was the works minister in the previous Barisan Nasional government, said if the current 11 parliamentary seats in Kuala Lumpur were divided into state constituencies, Selangor would gain between 22 and 33 additional seats, up from its current total of 56.

He said more than 24 of these new seats would have non-Malay majorities.

"This addition of new seats would bring the total number of state seats in Selangor to 89, with 39 to 43, or 48.3%, of them having non-Malay majorities.

"This move would increase the power of DAP, which has a secular stand and is mostly represented by the Chinese in the administration of Selangor, marginalising the role of the Malays in the management of the richest state in the country," Zin said in a Twitter post.

Earlier this week, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung proposed that Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Selangor before it was ceded to the federal government in 1974, be returned to the state, saying this would ease urban planning.

Zin, a former chairman of state railway firm KTMB, said Lee's call would bring "clear political gains and a large return of dividends" for Pakatan Harapan, particularly DAP.

The call was also criticised by former DAP MP Wee Choo Keong, who had served in two major seats in Kuala Lumpur.

Wee, who was the DAP MP for Bukit Bintang before being elected as the PKR MP for Wangsa Maju, said Lee should be mindful of the historical circumstances leading to the creation of Kuala Lumpur as a federal territory.

"This young MP chose to ignore the historical development of why the Federal Territories were created and KL was incorporated into FT after the 1969 fiasco, after which Malaysia was never the same again," he said.

"We must also acknowledge the political undertones surrounding his call made at this particular time when the nation is clearly divided."