Chan urges Putrajaya to reveal revenue collected from Sabah

 

Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Chan Foong Hin has called for the Finance Ministry to disclose the amount of federal revenue collected from Sabah to ensure transparency.

He said this would also prevent “misunderstanding or misrepresentation” by other parties.

“It is timely for the ministry to disclose this information,” the Kota Kinabalu MP said in a statement today, following a special briefing on the special grant for Sabah chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday.

Chan said the disclosure would help promote openness as both the federal and state governments work to review Sabah’s 40 percent revenue entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He also proposed that the existing technical committee under the MA63 Implementation Action Council be tasked with leading the review process within the 90-day timeframe set by the Kota Kinabalu High Court.

Chan added that both governments, through the committee, are formulating a new mechanism to calculate the future special grant rate, consistent with the spirit and principles of MA63.

The Sabah DAP deputy chief noted Anwar’s assurance that Putrajaya would respect the legal process and study in detail the court’s written judgment.

“I take note of the federal government’s continued commitment to resolving all outstanding MA63 matters, enhancing the special grant rate for Sabah, and increasing operational and development allocations to uplift the well-being of the people,

“Following the briefing session, I personally expressed to the prime minister that now is the time for both federal and state governments to work in unity and good faith to ensure that Sabah’s constitutional rights under MA63 are upheld through genuine dialogue, mutual trust, and transparent implementation,” he said.

Yesterday, Anwar said the federal government will decide whether to appeal the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s ruling on Sabah’s 40 percent share of federal revenue after obtaining the advice of the attorney-general.

The special briefing session was called following the court’s decision last Friday, where it found the federal government had acted unlawfully and beyond its powers under the Federal Constitution by failing to honour Sabah’s 40 percent share of federal revenue for nearly five decades. - Mkini