Kota Kinabalu: Warisan Supreme Council member Chen Ket Chuin said both Putrajaya and the Sabah Government must provide clear answers regarding the RM1.5 billion interim payment to ensure the State’s constitutional rights are strictly upheld.
While welcoming any progress on Sabah’s long-standing 40 per cent revenue entitlement, Chen said the public deserves full transparency on how the figure was derived and when the funds would actually be disbursed, following the Federal Government’s announcement of the payment during the Kaamatan celebrations on May 30.
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“This is not about rejecting the RM1.5 billion or attacking the Prime Minister. It is about the right of every Sabahan to ask important questions before accepting any figure as a satisfactory resolution,” Chen said.
Chen questioned the timeline of the payment, noting that a previous RM600 million allocation was only realised through the Federal Budget.
“Must Sabah now wait again for the tabling and approval of Budget 2027 before receiving this newly announced RM1.5 billion?
“If this payment represents part of Sabah’s constitutional entitlement under Article 112C and Article 112D, it should not be treated as a discretionary annual allocation dependent on future budget cycles,” he said.
He also sought clarification on whether the State Government had formally agreed to the RM1.5 billion figure.
He pointed out a discrepancy with figures previously provided by State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who told the State Legislative Assembly in April that Sabah was claiming at least RM3.019 billion for a single year based on tax collections.
“If Sabah’s own official position is that at least RM3.019 billion is owed for a single year, how was the figure of RM1.5 billion arrived at?
Chen further pushed for the quantification of the total debt owed to Sabah, pointing out that an instalment cannot be paid without an agreed-upon total sum.
He cited the High Court’s recognition of Sabah’s entitlement in the judicial review initiated by the Sabah Law Society, which directed a review process to determine the actual amount payable for the relevant years.
“The issue today is not the existence of the formula. The issue is the determination of the actual quantum owed to Sabah and the settlement of that constitutional debt without further delay,” he said.
On that note, he said Sabah is not seeking favours or charity but the fulfilment of a constitutional obligation.
“What Sabah needs is not another annual announcement. What Sabah needs is a transparent, permanent and constitutionally compliant mechanism that accurately calculates the amount owed and ensures the timely payment of Sabah’s entitlement,” he said.
