PETALING JAYA: Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan says the Sabah Cabinet will discuss calls for the state’s attorney-general to resign.
Sabah attorney-general Nor Asiah Yusof has faced calls to step down over the appointment of a lawyer whose arguments contradicted the state government’s stance on its 40% revenue legal challenge.
“Those are the suggestions and requests from several parties. We shall wait for the ending,” The Borneo Post quoted Kitingan as saying in a report.
“I don’t think I need to say (more).”
Asked if the Cabinet’s discussion would include action to be taken against Asiah and state-appointed legal counsel Tengku Fuad Ahmad, Kitingan said: “I will not speculate here. Wait for the Cabinet decision.”
He was responding to Tengku Fuad’s appearance at the Kota Kinabalu Court of Appeal last week, in which he intervened in the state attorney-general’s appeal against a High Court decision to grant the Sabah Law Society (SLS) leave to challenge the special grant Sabah is entitled to.
During the hearing, Tengku Fuad presented arguments which seemed to contradict the official stand of the state government regarding the 40% special grant under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.
Chief minister Hajiji Noor has since ordered the Sabah attorney-general’s office to review the legal proceedings and correct any misguided statements that differed from the state government’s formal position.
Hajiji also met with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah leaders to scrutinise Tengku Fuad’s assertion in the appeals court.
Yesterday, Asiah reiterated the commitment of the state Attorney-General’s Chambers to safeguard Sabah’s constitutional rights, particularly concerning the 40% revenue special grant, as enshrined in Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.
In a statement, she said the state AGC had been actively participating in all discussions related to this matter, together with the Sabah finance ministry and the federal government.
She also said the state AGC will take measures to correct any misguided statement that deviates from the state’s clear and formal position.
“Our stance is fully in line with the Sabah chief minister’s recent statement affirming the state’s determination to uphold its constitutional rights, and we will persist in the fight for all of Sabah’s rights as outlined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63),” she said.
“Irrespective of the outcome in the Court of Appeal, Sabah maintains its official demand that the federal government meet its legal and constitutional obligations concerning the special grant.
“This financial entitlement, rooted in the pre-formation negotiations of Malaysia and enshrined in the Federal Constitution, is a non-negotiable right of Sabah.”
Asiah also said the state AGC respects SLS’s right to seek judicial review on this matter as public interest litigation is vital for upholding the rule of law and ensuring fair justice. - FMT
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