KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Youth chief Christoper Mandut has questioned the federal government’s delay in furnishing the Sabah government with data and statistics over the 40% revenue grant.
He was referring to the eight requests from the Sabah government for data on income and tax collected from the state over the years that was essential for accurate calculations.
He urged the relevant departments and agencies to adopt a more proactive approach to resolve this long-standing issue promptly.
“Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun stated in the recently concluded state legislative assembly sitting that the data was meant for the calculation of the 40% federal net value entitlement for Sabah.
“He (Masidi) said that the calculation was not complicated, but without proper data, getting the estimated or exact amount can be impossible,” said Mandut in a statement on Saturday (April 27).
Masidi previously disclosed that despite eight requests for information without any satisfactory response, both federal and state governments agreed to a one-year negotiation period, set to conclude in July this year.
“We are wondering what is keeping the respective federal agencies or departments from providing us with the data. The reluctance suggests a lack of genuine commitment to help us,” Mandut said.
Mandut added the issue was also sentimental to him since he was also involved in pertinent discussions to the issues during his tenure as the former political secretary to the previous minister in the prime minister’s department (sabah and sarawak affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili in 2020.
“This was also part of the former minister’s (Ongkili) relentless efforts to ensure that Sabah and Sabahans’ rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) are fulfilled,” said Mandut.
He, therefore, called on the relevant departments and agencies to speed up the process and provide the Sabah government with the necessary data and documents to enable the state to claim what is owed to them.
