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Kota Kinabalu: GRS wants the new rate review of Sabah’s 40 per cent Special Grant to be implemented this year, its secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said.

Armizan, who is also Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, said the matter was discussed during a Special Discussion Session on the implementation status of Sabah’s 40 per cent entitlement with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders and representatives of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly Government Backbenchers Club at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), here, on Thursday.

He said GRS maintained a firm stand that the latest review of the Special Grant rate under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution must be carried out this year, despite the matter still being under legal proceedings at the Court of Appeal level.

Armizan said the Federal Government was expected to agree to a review with an increased new rate in 2026, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 13, 2025, recognising Sabah’s 40 per cent Special Grant entitlement as provided under the Constitution.

He said the Sabah Government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor would continue using existing negotiation platforms to ensure the revised Special Grant rate achieves a significantly higher figure to strengthen the State’s fiscal capacity for rakyat welfare and development, including water pipeline upgrades, reducing non-revenue water issues and constructing bridges in rural areas.