Sabah DCM calls for 40% revenue entitlement as talks end

PUTRAJAYA has been urged to implement Sabah’s 40% constitutional entitlement as the 12-month negotiation period had ended yesterday.

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan wants Putrajaya to ensure the smooth implementation of the state’s constitutional right.

“Concrete steps must be taken to fulfill this commitment and ensure that all aspects of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 are fully implemented in a timely and transparent manner.

“Ensuring that Sabah receives its rightful share of revenue is not merely a financial issue but a matter of justice and fairness,” he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu today.

At the Kaamatan Harvest Festival in late May, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said the 40% revenue entitlement for Sabah needed to be settled by July 18.

This came after both Putrajaya and Sabah agreed to a one-year negotiation period to reach a consensus on the formula.

Jeffrey said Sabahans have been waiting for the full implementation of this agreement for decades and the failure to honor the 40% revenue entitlement had perpetuated economic disparities, underdevelopment and poverty in Sabah.

“The people of Sabah deserve better, and it is time for the federal government to demonstrate its commitment to rectifying this longstanding issue,” he said.

The state government has already presented its own data on the revenue collected by Putrajaya from Sabah after the federal government had refused to provide the requested information eight times.

Under Article 112C of the Federal Constitution, Sabah is entitled to 40% of the revenue the federal government collects from the state under a revenue-sharing formula. – July 19, 2024