THE removal of the Sabah and Sarawak affairs portfolio in the federal cabinet reshuffle might make it appear as if the issue was again being marginalised, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said.
The opposition leader however said the decision was sound, even asking why policymakers were still discussing state rights.
He said some provisions in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) have been included in the Federal Constitution, implying only implementation remained.
“I hope he can deliver,” Shafie said, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is in charge of tasks under the portfolio.
“But it is not the setup of ministries or committees that is important. It is about the execution. Not negotiations here and there – only implementation.
“Several MA63 items are included in the Federal Constitution. How can the (government) not implement them?”
Prior to the cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali was minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of special functions and Sabah and Sarawak affairs.
Fadillah, who is from Sarawak is now energy transition and public utilities minister, while Armizan, from Sabah, is domestic trade and cost of living minister.
Purpose of division in PM’s Department
Shafie said the Federal Constitution must not be amended to suit anyone’s personal interests.
“The constitution is already there, and (it is) for us to ensure they (provisions) are implemented so the woes of the people in Sabah can be resolved,” he told reporters after launching Warisan’s annual general meeting in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.
The Sabah and Sarawak affairs portfolio was established in 2020 to prevent overlap among federal ministries.
It also functioned as a secretariat to facilitate negotiations between the federal government and Sabah and Sarawak.
Under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the MA63 Implementation Action Council was established to implement the terms of the deal.
The council is supported by a technical committee chaired by Fadillah and a coordination committee chaired by Armizan.
A decision is expected by July on what constitutes the 40% net revenue in reference to Sabah’s special grant as stated in article 112C and section 2(1) of Part IV of the Tenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
The development was said to be the reason Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) assemblymen decided to withdraw their suit on Sabah’s revenue entitlement.
Only 2 federal ministers from Sabah
It was recently gazetted that the federal government would pay a sum starting from RM300 million to Sabah over five years beginning from 2023.
The review order paper was recently put on the table of the MPs from Sabah, prompting questions from them in the recent parliament sitting.
Pundits have questioned if this interim payment would be adjusted to the upcoming decision for the 40% revenue entitlement in July next year while a review order was still in force.
Penampang MP Datuk Ewon Benedick suggested the Sabah government come up with a new formula if Putrajaya cannot honour the 40% revenue entitlement.
This, however, was rejected by the state.
Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau and several other Sabah MPs were surprised by the review order that was handed to them in parliament recently.
But Armizan said Tangau should explain why he had agreed, during his tenure as Sabah deputy chief minister in 2019, to a paltry sum of RM53.4 million, compared with the RM300 million now.
Meanwhile, Shafie congratulated Anwar on his new cabinet lineup, while expressing hope the ministers would resolve Sabah’s woes.
“I hope they will carry out their responsibilities. Although Sabah has 25 federal seats, only two Sabahans are in the new federal cabinet, while some peninsular states have more ministers despite having fewer federal seats than Sabah.
“But the number (of ministers) is not important. It is their performance. They need to resolve our issues, like roads, water, education and health,” he said. – The Vibes, December 15, 2023.
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