KOTA KINABALU – How did the RM16 billion come about and was the prime minister ill-advised or misinformed about allocations for Sabah, asked Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Kitingan also said Sabah ministers were not informed about the RM16 billion announced by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, which was compared to the 40% net revenue entitlement that the state has been fighting for.
“Was he (Anwar) ill-advised of the situation? As far as the state assembly knows, the annual allocation given to Sabah by the federal government is RM6.2 billion. We don’t know where the other RM10 billion comes from.
“No matter the amount, that is the federal obligation. It is not the 40% net revenue entitlement, because the 40% is ours, and the federal government just has to return it.”
Kitingan, who is also Sabah Star president, said this when launching the Sabah Tanah Airku tour by his party and United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) at Dewan Sri Putatan, near here, today.
He said he does not blame Anwar if he was misinformed, but the 40% revenue issue must be resolved by July 18, which is the one-year deadline before Putrajaya and Sabah finalise the payment mechanism.
Yesterday, Anwar urged politicians in Sabah to stop criticising and denying Putrajaya’s efforts to restore Sabah’s rights as outlined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution.
Anwar said the total allocation allotted for Sabah this year, amounting to RM16 billion, is more than the 40% revenue entitlement.
However, Kitingan said today there is no way for leaders in Sabah to be quiet about the 40% entitlement as the matter has not been resolved.
“If we stop raising the issue, they will forget about it. So, we must continue talking about it until it is settled.”
When asked if he thinks that Putrajaya is insincere about the 40% entitlement, he said: “I don’t know, but if we look at the history, they have not been forthcoming. Why wait for us to make demands? If I were not imprisoned then, nobody would be talking about it because no one wants to be in prison.”
“So now that everybody is on the same page, including the federal government, they are talking about restoring Sabah’s rights. So, are they sincere?”
Meanwhile, Usno president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who was at the same event, has a stronger reaction to Anwar’s statement, saying it made Sabahans even more confused than before.
“My concern is, where did the RM16 billion come from? Is it from 10A (Section 10A of the Emergency Ordinance), or did it just appear out of thin air? From the history of the formation of Malaysia, it was clearly stated that the 40% entitlement is an automatic entitlement.
“What I worry about is that our leaders in Malaya, especially those holding big positions, do not know at all about the history of the formation of Malaysia. So, I propose that our leaders from West Malaysia and Putrajaya please learn the history of Malaysia’s formation, and they will understand what we are claiming right now.
“Please don’t equate our demands with the demands of those in West Malaysia, because our demands are based on the MA63, an agreement that was formed that made Sabah join Malaysia,” said the former Dewan Rakyat speaker. – June 1, 2024