KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah leader expressed disappointment that the planned meeting to address the state’s 40% revenue entitlement scheduled for Monday (June 30) never took place.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan revealed that the Sabah Cabinet had agreed for the state to host the crucial meeting and that he had written to the Chief Minister to initiate the process.
"I wrote to the Chief Minister. It was based on his suggestion that Sabah host a meeting on June 30. The Prime Minister’s Department (PMO) was informed, and the Chief Minister brought the letter to the Cabinet. Everyone agreed. We were supposed to send the letter to the PMO, but when we checked, it had not been sent," said Kitingan at the Sabah STAR ninth anniversary gathering launch on Tuesday (July 1).
Kitingan noted that the letter was supposed to be sent by the Sabah State Secretary’s office.
In voicing frustration over the hiccups, he said it causes a setback to federal-state relations.
"I do not know why it was not sent, even though everything had been agreed upon. I have asked for an explanation and am still waiting. This meeting was supposed to mark real progress on the 40% revenue issue," he said.
In another development, Kitingan also expressed disappointment over recent developments concerning the Ambalat maritime boundary, criticising the lack of consultation with Sabah.
"That area falls within Sabah’s territory. If that is true, and Sabah was not consulted, it is not right. We need clarification, and I will request an official explanation.
"If there has been a formal protest from Sabah, we will wait for a response. This may take time. I may raise the matter in the next parliamentary session," he said.
Kitingan was referring to the agreement between Malaysia and Indonesia to adopt a joint development approach to manage long-standing maritime border disputes, including the resource-rich and contested Ambalat Block.
This commitment was made during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on June 27.
The Ambalat dispute dates back to the 1970s and centres around overlapping maritime claims in the Sulawesi Sea.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee is urging the Federal and Sabah governments to present the recent Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral agreement, particularly regarding the Ambalat Block, to both Parliament and the Sabah State Assembly for debate and transparency before any deal is finalised.
"Malaysia’s claim over the Ambalat area has historical backing from the 2002 ICJ Ligitan-Sipadan ruling, and any move resembling the previous Blocks L and M controversy must be avoided," he said.
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SABAH & SARAWAK, POLITICS
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