Parti Warisan said it stands with the Sabah Law Society, the Sabah High Court and the people of Sabah in that it will not accept delay or excuse for non-compliance of the order for the State and Federal governments to resolve the 40 per cent net revenue entitlement within 180 days.
Sec-Gen Datuk Loretto Padua Jr said recent statements by Federal on the handling of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issues raised serious concerns, particularly in relation to Sabah’s 40 per cent net revenue entitlement as provided under Article 112C of the Malaysian Constitution.
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“This is not about negotiations, processes or technical committees. It is about complying with a High Court order,” he said in a statement, Saturday.
The Sabah High Court directed both the Federal and State Governments to act on Sabah’s 40 per cent net revenue entitlement with a clear timeline for a fresh review within 90 days and movement towards implementation within 180 days.
“Ninety days have already passed. There is no agreement, no clarity on figures, no shared data and no plan for implementation.
“It must be noted that officially the state and federal governments met when Sabah was under a caretaker government. Since then there has been no formal statements from the newly formed state government on the issue,” he said.
The Sabah Law Society went to court because Sabah was denied its rights for decades. The Court recognised that injustice and ordered it to be corrected.
“For now to hide behind ‘frameworks’ and ‘ongoing discussions’ is to continue the very failure that the Court sought to end.
“The Federal Government controls the money but the Sabah Government must defend Sabah’s rights,” it said, adding that the Chief Minister should not remain silent.
“When a High Court order in a constitutional matter is treated as flexible or optional, it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Court orders are not subject to political convenience and constitutional rights cannot be managed according to comfort or timing.
“A court order is not optional. Constitutional rights are not negotiable and Sabah is not a junior partner in this Federation,” he said.
“If this continues, the consequences will not just be legal. They will be political,” said Loretto.
