KUALA LUMPUR – Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has refused to discuss Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement in the Dewan Rakyat to avoid committing sub judice.
Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran-PH) submitted a question to the Dewan Rakyat, asking if the federal government recognises Article 112C Part IV in the 10th Schedule of the Federal Constitution as a constitutional right for Sabah.
However, Azalina, in her written response, said it is inappropriate to discuss the question as it does not comply with the parliamentary standing orders.
“This is because the question is likely to prejudice a case under trial. It is also a matter still under the court’s consideration,” she said.
Article 112C concerns Sabah’s constitutional right to receive 40% of the total federal revenue through taxes collected from Sabah.
It was learned that Tangau received the written response earlier this week and only recently disclosed it to the media.
Recently, the issue of Sabah’s 40% revenue return has caused tension between Sabah and the federal government, following the Federal Attorney-General Chambers’ repeated attempts to halt a judicial review filed by the Sabah Law Society.
Tangau’s aide informed Scoop that he would not be commenting on the matter further after receiving Azalina’s written response, although he had previously been prepared to debate the issue in the Dewan Rakyat. – July 4, 2024