Comply with High Court ruling on 40 pct revenue share, STARSabah tells Putrajaya

KOTA KINABALU (Jan 15): Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Sabah (STARSabah) has urged the federal government to immediately comply with a High Court order to distribute 40 per cent of Sabah’s revenue collected by the government, in line with the state’s constitutional rights.

STARSabah president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the High Court decision, including the stipulated timeframe, is mandatory and not optional.

“The 40 per cent entitlement is Sabah’s constitutional right. It is not a political concession, a development allocation, or something that can be delayed, reduced, or reinterpreted at the convenience of the federal government,” said the Keningau MP.

Dr Jeffrey emphasised that following the expiry of the 90-day review period ordered by the court, the constitutional entitlement should have been fully implemented.

He added that procedural meetings or discussions without substantive outcomes cannot be considered compliance with the Federal Constitution or the court order.

“Assertions that the matter is on the Federal Cabinet’s agenda are insufficient in the absence of data transparency, including total revenue derived from Sabah, the calculation methodology, and a clear implementation mechanism bound by a specific timeline,” he said.

Dr Jeffrey, who is also Tambunan assemblyman, stressed that the federal government expenditure in Sabah on education, healthcare, and security constitutes the government’s basic responsibilities to all states and cannot be used to justify denying or offsetting Sabah’s constitutional rights.

“Sabah has waited far too long, and any further delay would reinforce the perception that the state’s 40 per cent entitlement continues to be sidelined for political considerations,” he said.

“Sabah is not asking for charity. Sabah is demanding what rightfully belongs to it under the Federal Constitution and what the court has ordered to be implemented,” he added.

He urged the federal government to shift from issuing statements to taking concrete action, fulfilling its constitutional obligations honestly, transparently, and responsibly, in full compliance with the court order.