A CALL has been made for UPKO president Datuk Ewon Benedick to resign from the Federal Cabinet should the government file an appeal against the High Court’s landmark decision affirming Sabah’s right to 40 per cent of federal revenue collected from the state.
The resolution came from the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation’s (UPKO) Penampang division, led by Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin, during the party’s convention in Penampang on Sunday.
Donald said the division’s delegates supported the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s judgment in the judicial review filed by the Sabah Law Society (SLS), which ordered the Federal and State Governments to review and settle the arrears within 180 days.
“We urge our party president, Ewon, as a representative of Sabah in the Federal Government, to consider stepping down from the Cabinet if the Attorney-General’s Chambers proceeds with an appeal,” Mojuntin said in his speech.
On October 17, 2025, the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled in favour of the Sabah Law Society’s judicial review, affirming that Sabah is constitutionally entitled to 40 per cent of federal revenue collected from the state under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.
The court ordered both the Federal and Sabah Governments to review and settle the arrears for the “lost years”, spanning nearly five decades since 1974, within 180 days, marking a major legal victory for Sabah’s long-contested fiscal rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He added that UPKO would stand in solidarity with the people of Sabah and remain committed to defending the state’s constitutional rights as guaranteed under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution, a core objective of the party’s founding struggle.
Meanwhile, Ewon said he accepted full responsibility for the resolutions passed at the convention, adding that he had already conveyed his stand to national leaders.
“The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers and my Cabinet colleagues are already aware of my view that the AGC should not file an appeal.
“In next week’s Cabinet meeting, I will officially record this position,” he said, adding that he also takes full responsibility for all other resolutions passed by UPKO. - October 19, 2025
