GABUNGAN Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali has rejected claims by Parti Warisan suggesting that it alone defends Sabah’s interests, including on the amendment to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia Act 1995.
Armizan, who is also Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, described Warisan’s accusation that the current government had failed to uphold Sabah’s rights in the amendment as baseless and politically misleading. He said the party’s narrative was an attempt to portray itself as Sabah’s sole “saviour”.
“The way they present it can confuse those who are not aware of the actual facts. But the truth is that this amendment is proof of GRS’s success, the Madani Government’s commitment, and a victory for the people of Sabah,” he said in a video message posted on his Facebook page on Friday.
Armizan explained that the original 1995 LHDN Act never required the appointment of representatives from Sabah and Sarawak, despite the matter being mentioned in the 1962 Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.
He said efforts to formalise the appointment of permanent representatives from both Borneo states began after the formation of GRS in 2020, when the then Minister for Sabah and Sarawak Affairs, Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, raised the issue during meetings of the Special Council on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“As a result, on 1 September 2022, Sabah appointed Datuk Petrus Gimbad as the state’s representative to LHDN, on the recommendation of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, making Sabah the first state to do so nearly six decades after Malaysia’s formation,” he said.
Armizan added that when the Madani Unity Government took office at the end of 2022, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim directed that the law be amended to institutionalise the appointment of permanent representatives from Sabah and Sarawak.
“The Bill was subsequently tabled and passed in 2023. Some questioned why the amendment did not explicitly state ‘representatives of the governments of Sabah and Sarawak’, but we chose instead the phrase ‘after consultation with the Chief Minister of Sabah and the Premier of Sarawak’ to ensure state governments remain formally recognised,” he explained.
The Papar MP described the amendment as a landmark achievement, marking the first time Sabah and Sarawak are formally recognised in the nation’s tax governance structure.
“So, accuse me of failure if you wish — but let the facts speak. What matters is that this success is not a personal victory, but a victory for Sabah,” he said. - October 25, 2025
