PUTRAJAYA: The Sabah government did not raise the issue of engaging an assessor to calculate revenue owed by the federal government during a meeting with the Prime Minister, says Fahmi Fadzil.
The government spokesman said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and several Cabinet ministers representing the federal government, as well as Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and his Cabinet, had met recently to discuss several issues concerning the state.
“This (appointing an assessor) was not raised.
“The focus was on how both federal and state governments can resolve outstanding matters, the 25 ‘sick projects’ in the state and the setting up of a cardiology centre,” he said on Wednesday (April 24).
Fahmi was asked about reports stating that Sabah might appoint its own independent assessor to calculate the 40% revenue owed by the federal government if no agreement was reached by July.
State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun was quoted as saying the amount to be agreed upon was still pending as the federal government had not provided a clear answer.
He said the state had made eight requests for the data to determine the amount it should demand, but the federal government had not provided a reasonable answer.
“We agreed to the one-year negotiation period, which expires in July. If no consensus is reached regarding the 40% net revenue entitlement, it is up to Sabah to appoint an independent assessor,” he was quoted as saying.
