Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor reiterated that the Sabah Government remains firm in its stance on the State’s 40 per cent revenue entitlement as provided for under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution, while awaiting the payment mechanism to be finalised through negotiations with the Federal Government.
He said the position has been raised repeatedly at MA63 meetings, including with the Prime Minister.
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“This is the clear position of the State Government. As stipulated under the MA63 claim and the Federal Constitution, this is our position, and I have raised this many times in MA63 meetings,” he told Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Senallang) during winding-up the debate for the Chief Minister’s Department at State Legislative Assembly, Wednesday.
Hajiji said another meeting is scheduled for Dec 19 to discuss the payment mechanism for the claim.
“So we will wait for the payment mechanism. I believe this matter is currently being negotiated and needs to be resolved within the proper framework.”
Hajiji stressed that as a Sabahan, his position is guided by the Constitution at various MA63 meetings held in Kuching, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.
He said any negotiations must be based on court decisions.
“The court’s decision must be the basis. We cannot deviate from that decision and negotiations must be conducted in line with it,” he said.
He said the State Government understands the need to expedite the resolution of the matter so that Sabah does not continue to lose the allocations it is entitled to receive. “Of course, we want this matter to be resolved quickly, but we also need to be patient and wait for the ongoing process,” he said.
Touching on the issue of strengthening the State Legislative Assembly and the proposal to establish a Select Committee raised by Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Usukan), Hajiji said he would bring the matter for the Speaker of the Assembly to consider.
He also expressed openness to any proposals that could benefit the state, including those related to strengthening the State Legislative Assembly.
“I am open to any proposal that brings benefit to the State. I will discuss this matter with Datuk Speaker,” he said.
Hajiji stressed that the State Government’s approach is to listen to and consider all constructive proposals in the interest of Sabah.
Earlier, Hajiji said the Sabah Government does not compromise and practises a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of corruption, breaches of integrity and abuse of power in the State administration.
He said integrity issues must be given serious attention, as raised by Sarifuddin Hata (Merotai).
The State Government’s commitment to ensuring that all Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) are administered with integrity, transparency and accountability is reflected through several key measures.
He said the first measure is a directive by the Chief Minister requiring all Chief Executive Officers, Group General Managers and General Managers of State Statutory Bodies and GLCs to submit written performance reports every three months directly to the Chief Minister beginning next year.
“This is important to monitor the performance of each agency involved, including project progress, financial position, service effectiveness and the achievement of their respective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs),” he said.
The second involves placing a senior officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as Integrity Adviser to the Chief Minister at the Chief Minister’s Department.
This would ensure that governance and anti-corruption efforts are implemented comprehensively, including enhancing GLC compliance with the strengthening of Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIA) management across all GLCs.
The third is a directive for every GLC to establish a Sabah Integrity and Governance Unit (IGU), which functions as an independent entity to implement four core functions, namely Complaints Management, Compliance, Governance and Integrity.
He said the implementation of this initiative is monitored by the Sabah Integrity and Governance Division of the State Secretary’s Office through biannual monitoring meetings, including the reporting of core function activities to the MACC.
The fourth measure is implementation of integrity strengthening programmes specifically for GLC leaders throughout 2026 to ensure that administration that is integrated, transparent and accountable is practised across all Sabah state GLCs.
Hajiji also addressed issues regarding allegations of misconduct as well as matters related to management and appointments within a State GLC.
“All the allegations referred to are still at the investigation stage,” he said.
He said any consideration or decision made is fully subject to compliance with governance, integrity and the law.
“The State Government will not consider any decision that could undermine public confidence or the integrity of State Government institutions and GLCs,” he said.
Any statements or assumptions made ahead of the outcome of official investigations and not based on verified facts could undermine the right to a fair process in line with the principles of natural justice and the law.
