Kota Kinabalu: Kapayan Assemblyman Chin Tek Ming called on the State Government to explain why his private motion on the 40pc tax entitlement was rejected in the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Warisan's commitment to Sabah's 40 per cent revenue entitlement while Responding to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, Chin said constructive dialogue on the issue would be better served by addressing the substance of the motion rather than trading positions in the public domain.
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Chin said his motion was intended as a practical step forward, designed to separate historical claims from current entitlements by focusing on the period between 2022 and 2025.
Central to the proposal was a call for full transparency on actual revenue collected from Sabah by the Federal Government, which he said was essential to any credible calculation of the state's entitlement.
"Without real figures, how can the entitlement be properly determined?" he said.
On Armizan's suggestion that Warisan had misrepresented the RM53.4 million figure, Chin sought to provide clarification, noting that Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman had at the time been explicit that the sum was an interim payment made on a "without prejudice" basis under Article 112C of the Federal Constitution.
The payment, he said, was a temporary measure to address the State's immediate fiscal needs and did not imply a settlement of Sabah's broader constitutional claim.
"To reduce the 40 per cent issue to a single figure is misleading. Special grants and constitutional revenue rights are two distinct mechanisms," Chin said.
Chin also sought to correct the record on Warisan's involvement in the judicial review initiated by the Sabah Law Society (SLS), saying the party's support had been consistent and visible throughout the court proceedings.
"Perhaps Armizan is unaware, as he was never present during the hearings. He may wish to verify this with the appointed assemblyman who represents the government's position on the 40 per cent issue," he said.
Regarding figures such as RM3 billion highlighted by the government as indicators of progress, Chin acknowledged the arrangements while pointing out that they fell short of Sabah's full constitutional entitlement.
"An interim grant is a negotiated, temporary amount. The 40 per cent entitlement is a constitutional right based on actual revenue collected from Sabah. The difference is substantial," he said.
Chin said that his motion was not intended as a political manoeuvre, but as a genuine attempt to advance Sabah's claim through institutional means.
"This motion is about accelerating the claim, enhancing transparency, and ensuring accountability. If that is seen as politics, then accountability itself is being treated as a threat," he said.
He also described continued attempts to blame Warisan over decisions made in 2019 as a distraction, pointing out that the 40 per cent issue had remained unresolved across multiple administrations and was therefore a shared responsibility requiring a collective response.
On the government's indication that it may table its own motion at a future sitting, Chin said he welcomed any sincere effort to advance the matter, but suggested that allowing open debate, regardless of who initiates it, would be the most transparent path forward.
"When the opposition tables a motion, it is rejected. When the government does so, it becomes acceptable. This is not about procedure but about avoiding formal commitments on record," he said.
He called for unity of purpose, urging the government to open the floor to debate, make revenue data available and place Sabah's constitutional rights formally on the record in the State Assembly.
"The people of Sabah will judge not by who speaks the most, but by who has the courage to deliver solutions and defend their rights," he said.
