Special committee comprising state and federal officials will meet to ensure negotiations proceed smoothly.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterated that the government respected the Bornean state’s right to the special grant as stipulated under the Federal Constitution.
He said the federal government had held negotiations with the Sabah government on Nov 17 to implement the review of the special grant, taking into account the state government’s needs and Putrajaya’s financial position.
“Both sides (in the special committee) have stated their commitment to holding further discussions on Jan 28 to ensure the negotiation process proceeds in an orderly manner,” Anwar, who is also finance minister, said in a written parliamentary reply.
The special committee comprises officials from both the federal and Sabah governments and is co-chaired by Sabah state secretary Safar Untong and Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican.
Anwar was replying to Siti Aminah Aching (BN-Beaufort) who asked about Putrajaya’s stand on the state’s demand for 40% of revenue collected from the state.
In October, the Kota Kinabalu High Court affirmed Sabah’s 40% entitlement to federal revenue earned in the state, as provided for in the Federal Constitution.
It ruled that Putrajaya had acted unlawfully and exceeded its constitutional powers by failing to fulfil Sabah’s right to 40% of the state’s revenue for the years 1974 to 2021.
The court also ordered that a review must commence within 90 days and be completed within 180 days.
Last week, Roger Chin, an appointed Sabah assemblyman expressed concern over the apparently slow pace of the review, saying the special committee had only met once so far. - FMT
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