Implement Sabah’s constitutional rights immediately, urges Warisan man

KOTA KINABALU (March 16): Kapayan assemblyman Chin Tek Ming has urged Sabahans not to be swayed by yet another round of federal promises regarding the state’s long-standing 40 per cent revenue entitlement.

Commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement that the federal government remains fully committed to implementing Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Chin said similar assurances have been repeated over the past six decades without real action.

“Sabahans have heard this script many times before.

“Every federal administration says it is committed, yet the constitutional right of Sabah to receive 40 per cent of the net revenue derived from the state has never been fully honoured,” he said in a statement on Monday.

Chin stressed that the 40 per cent entitlement is not a discretionary allocation or a development grant from the federal government, but a constitutional obligation owed to Sabah.

“If the Prime Minister is truly sincere when he says the decision is final, then there is no reason for further delays, committees, or technical discussions.

“The federal government should simply implement the payment immediately,” he said.

The Warisan leader also criticised the Sabah government for what he described as a lack of firmness in defending the state’s constitutional rights.

According to Chin, the state administration led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has been ‘strangely passive’ on one of the most important issues affecting Sabah’s financial future.

“Sabah does not need leaders who merely celebrate federal announcements.

“Sabah needs leaders who are prepared to firmly demand and secure what rightfully belongs to the people of this state,” Chin stressed.

“This is not about political parties. This is about justice for Sabah.
“This is about restoring the dignity and rights of our state within the Federation.”

Chin added that Parti Warisan has consistently maintained that Sabah’s rights under MA63 must be fully implemented rather than subjected to prolonged negotiations.

“After more than 60 years since the formation of Malaysia, Sabah should not still be waiting for the restoration of its own constitutional rights,” he said, reiterating that Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue entitlement must be implemented without further delay.