Start paying Sabah its due, Putrajaya urged

PGRS Youth acting chief Azrul Ibrahim said Putrajaya should reassure Sabah by paying a portion of the funds while negotiations continue to determine the payment formula and the actual amount owed.

“Delaying it further will only increase concern and heighten sentiments among Sabahans, who have long waited for a fair resolution to the state’s rights,” InfoTawau quoted him as saying in a Facebook post.

Govt seeks stay of ruling

His comments came as Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau shared images on Facebook on Thursday of a government application seeking a stay of a High Court ruling that restored Sabah’s entitlement to a 40% share of net tax revenue derived from the state.

The application came as a surprise to federal minister for Sabah and Sarawak affairs Mustapha Sakmud who said he did not have detailed information about the matter but would raise it at the next Cabinet meeting, according to the Borneo Post.

The High Court in Kota Kinabalu had ruled on Oct 17 that the federal government had acted unlawfully for nearly five decades by failing to honour Sabah’s share of federal revenue.

Tangau threatens legal action

On Wednesday, Tangau said MPs and senators from Sabah are ready to support legal action if negotiations over the revenue entitlement fail by April 15.

He said they were willing to back any court action deemed necessary by the Sabah Law Society, citing the “slow pace of discussions” and limited engagement between Sabah and Putrajaya.

Likas assemblyman Tham Yun Fook of Warisan questioned the shock expressed by Mustapha, who is head of Sabah Pakatan Harapan. Tham said Mustapha’s response was either political theatrics or showed he was being kept out of the loop on such matters.