Look after ‘golden geese’ Sabah, Sarawak or they’ll fly away, says Kitingan

 

Jeffrey Kitingan says Sabah and Sarawak should be paid accordingly, and issues about their rights resolved before ‘it is too late’. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: A Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader described Sabah and Sarawak today as the nation’s “golden geese” when calling for Putrajaya to look after the two east Malaysian states following dissatisfaction over the 2022 national budget.

Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR-Keningau) claimed that some 60% of east Malaysians were calling for Sabah and Sarawak to leave Malaysia after they were allocated RM5.2 billion and RM4.6 billion, respectively, in development funds for next year.

Some RM67.8 billion, meanwhile, has been set aside for states in Peninsular Malaysia.

Kitingan, who has been critical of the federal budget in the past, said Putrajaya collected between RM60 billion and RM100 billion in gross revenue a year from Sabah.

Yet, with the exception of 2020, when RM53.4 million was set aside for Sabah, the state has only received RM26.7 billion in the past five decades.

“Sabah should be paid between RM20 billion and RM36 billion a year,” he said when debating the 2022 Supply Bill.

Kitingan, who is the coalition’s deputy chairman, also called for a provisional sum of 40% of Sabah’s revenue to be returned to the state.

The actual amount could be paid later, he said.

He said Sabah and Sarawak should be paid accordingly, and issues about their rights under the Federal Constitution should be resolved before “it is too late”.

“Please don’t kill the ‘golden geese’ or they will fly away,” he said, adding that Putrajaya should heed the grouses of east Malaysians. - FMT