Kota Kinabalu: Tambunan Assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan proposed the setting up of a Malaysia Agreement Revenue Tracking System, a mechanism to assign codes to every revenue item collected by the Federal Government from Sabah.
“This will enable constant monitoring and tracking of what Sabah is owed,” he said when debating the Head of State Policy Speech, here, Tuesday.
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“We do not need to wait every five years for a review. With this system, the 60-40 split can be calculated and enforced every year. We can even use technology and artificial intelligence to do this … it is not difficult,” he said.
The proposal came as Jeffrey raised Sabah’s troubled 40 per cent revenue entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which he said was not mentioned at all in the Head of State Policy Speech.
Jeffrey said Sabah contributes at least RM50 billion annually to the Federal Government, implying a 40 per cent share of about RM20 billion, far exceeding what Sabah currently receives through Federal allocations.
“We are begging every year to get allocations to solve our flood problems. We requested RM1 billion and they offered RM50 million. Imagine wanting to flatten a hill and being given a hoe instead,” he said.
He pointed out that the RMK-13 allocation for Sabah from 2026 to 2030 stands at RM12.024 billion, translating to just RM2.64 billion per year if paid in full and not withdrawn before year end. Manufacturing investment in Sabah in 2025 reached a record RM7.6 billion at the time.
“Even if you add both figures together, they are still far too small compared to what we are entitled to under the 40 per cent constitutional right,” he said.
Jeffrey said the Kota Kinabalu High Court had already ruled in Sabah’s favour, ordering the Federal Government to pay and fulfil this constitutional right.
However, the Federal Government has since filed a stay to delay enforcement of the court order, which he said could drag on indefinitely.
Jeffrey said interim payments made in the meantime were merely “candy” to keep Sabah quiet and not a genuine solution.
“The Sabah Government must take proactive action under Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement, which empowers Sabah to take legal, administrative or other steps to enforce rights and guarantees that have yet to be fulfilled.
He agreed with Sri Tanjong’s proposal to form a non-partisan MA63 committee within the assembly so that all State assemblymen could speak with one voice in pressing Sabah’s claims.
On the accumulated arrears spanning 48 years, Jeffrey acknowledged that the Federal Government may be reluctant to settle the full backlog at once. Still, he said, there was no excuse for failing to pay what is owed going forward.
“Let’s focus on what we can do now … pay for 2025, 2026 and going forward. The arrears can be negotiated separately, but what is owed from now onwards cannot be negotiated.
“We must get it in full, because we need it for our development, to solve our problems and to end our poverty,” he said.
When asked by Merotai about obstacles he (Jeffrey) encountered while serving on the MA63 technical committee, Jeffrey said the committee lacked decision-making power and could only discuss and make recommendations, with final decisions resting at the Prime Minister, Premier and Chief Minister levels.
Jeffrey claimed that the Federal refused to share the necessary financial data, forcing Sabah to source the figures on its own.
“From my personal observation, the Federal Government has been trying to avoid paying. That is why our constitutional rights have been sidelined all this while,” he said.
He also said that, unlike Sabah, Sarawak consistently secures what it demands from the Federal Government, attributing this to Sarawak being more united and having greater political leverage.
“Sarawak is united, they have more elected representatives and they have leverage … that is the difference between us,” he said.
