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KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah government remains firm and will stick to fighting for 40% of the federal government’s revenue from the state to be returned to them, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor.
Hajiji (Sulaman-Bersatu) told the assembly sitting in his winding-up speech today that the matter is a top priority for Sabah, and is the core of the state’s fights in claiming its rights.
“The state government will continue our efforts to get the 40% for Sabah. That is our stance,” he said.
He was answering a question by opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Senallang-Warisan) who asked if the state government is going to fight for the special grant.
“It is important because the finance minister (Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz) told the Dewan Rakyat that the 40% rate is no longer applicable,” Shafie said.
When answering Assaffal P. Alian’s (Tungku-Warisan) question on whether the Sabah government’s response meant that Tengku Zafrul’s statement was not true, Hajiji said that the federal government is entitled to its opinions.
“What they say…that is their opinion. But for us, the state government, we will continue to claim.
“Any agreement on the payment of special grant is without prejudice, the rights of the state government, in accordance with the original formula stated under article 12C and the tenth schedule of the federal constitution.
“Discussions between the Sabah government and the Finance Ministry are still continuing.
“The same goes for other matters; if anything is on our list of claims, we will never drop it. We will continue to fight for it, from what has been promised in the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he added. – The Vibes, March 24, 2022
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