PAPAR: Sabah’s rights issues, including the 40pc revenue entitlement, should not be turned into theatrics for political gains, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Deputy Sec-Gen said these were serious matters for the State and should not be used as a stage to seek popularity or personal gains.
Advertisement
“Don’t cut corners or attempt to ‘ride’ the momentum of the ongoing negotiations between the GRS and the Federal Government on the issue,” he told a press conference in conjunction with a briefing on the status of Papar district projects, here, Monday.
The comments from Armizan, who is Papar MP, came after Parti Warisan’s Chin Tek Ming accused the State Government of being not serious in fighting for Sabah’s revenue entitlement.
At the recently-concluded State Assembly sitting, Chin, who is Kapayan Assemblyman, tried to table a private member’s motion seeking a resolution for the immediate implementation of Sabah’s entitlement to 40pc of federal revenue derived from the State, but was rejected.
Armizan said allegations linking the GRS Government to the rejection of the motion was clearly rhetorical.
He said the motion was rejected based on the Speaker’s decision, not by GRS or the State Government, as portrayed.
“The attempt to blame GRS is a narrative deliberately constructed to mislead the public and cover up their own past record (the Warisan Government’s earlier mistakes on the 40 per cent issue).
“It is also aimed at creating the perception that the State Government and other elected representatives do not support the 40pc issue, when in fact the current government has been far more consistent and firm in pursuing the matter,” he said.
“This is a ‘cutting corners’ strategy — if the motion is not supported, they will claim others are rejecting the struggle; if supported, they want to appear as heroes. In reality, this struggle has long been pursued in a structured manner by the State Government.
“The Sabah Government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor remains consistent through negotiation and legal action. We are committed and firm in demanding that Sabah’s 40 per cent entitlement is a constitutional right that must be fulfilled by the Federal Government — no question about it,” he said.
He added that recent developments show clear commitment, with the State Government targeting an increase in the special grant from RM600 million to at least RM3 billion as an initial step, as previously emphasised by the State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
If a resolution to the issue is still not reached, Armizan said he would propose that Backbenchers Club (BBC) Chairman Datuk Masiung Banah table a motion at the next State Assembly sitting to reaffirm Sabah’s 40 per cent entitlement claim.
“We must place this matter on the official record of the State Assembly so that future generations will know the facts — who consistently fought for Sabah’s rights and who made decisions that were detrimental to the State.
Armizan, who is also Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, said two key decisions made by the Warisan government in 2019 on the issue clearly demonstrated its failure to defend Sabah’s rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
He said the first mistake was made in August 2019 when the then Warisan-led state government, through its then Chief Minister and Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, openly stated in the State Assembly that it was not appropriate for the State Government to bring the 40 per cent claim to the court.
“Responding to a question by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffry Kitingan in the State Assembly on Aug 1, 2019, on whether the State Government would consider taking the 40 per cent issue to court, he (Shafie) openly said the State Government felt it was not appropriate to do so.
“The second and more serious mistake was made in October 2019 when the Warisan government, through a State Cabinet decision, agreed to accept a revised special grant from RM26 million to only RM53.4 million, which was formally submitted in writing to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
This amount was not only too low but also deviated significantly from the true spirit of the 40 per cent claim, which should amount to billions of ringgit.
“This stance was deeply disappointing as it rejected one of the most important avenues to defend Sabah’s constitutional rights. Yet today, they attempt to present themselves as the main champions, when official records show otherwise — a major failure by the Warisan government in safeguarding Sabah’s interests,” he said.
