Sabah closer to 40% revenue entitlement

Tourists are still visiting Kinabalu Park

KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government is to fulfil what is rightly owed to Sabah under a proposed special committee to study the state’s 40% entitlement of revenue collected by the ­federal authorities from the state.

“Whatever rightly has to come to Sabah will be fulfilled,” Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said.

He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had agreed to the setting up of the committee after hearing views about Sabah’s rights.

“These are constitutional guarantees on financial allocations to the state,” Anifah told reporters after attending the Hari Raya open house of Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman and state ­ministers at the Likas Sports Complex here.

Anifah, who led a group of five, including Sabah STAR chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to meet with Najib last week in Putrajaya, said the Prime Minister was “very receptive” to the issues highlighted.

Anifah said he expected the special committee to be formed soon after Hari Raya.

The committee, he said, would comprise experts with know­ledge on the Constitution and the historical background to Sabah becoming part of Malaysia in 1963.

He said the matter was non-­political as it had been discussed at length during various forums with the people.

“It is merely about fulfilling state rights,” he said, adding that the committee would study Sabah’s rights to higher oil royalty as well as a return of 40% of the nett revenue obtained from the state.

Najib’s green light to set up the committee was well received by state leaders across the political spectrum. Many of them felt that a review was long overdue.

Parti Bersatu Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the decision was a positive action by the Federal Govern­ment.