KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan did not sell out when it accepted the RM53mil special grant in 2019, says Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said at that time, Sabah's Warisan Plus state government understood the financial constraints faced by the Federal Government, which is why it accepted the allocation.
Having said that, he added that the formula for payment of special allocations, as well as the 40% tax revenue owed to Sabah, was not agreed upon.
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"There are two different things here – the special grant and the 40% tax revenue share (from the consolidated funds)," the Warisan president told a press conference here on Tuesday (Oct 14).
He said that for the 40% revenue share, no negotiation was needed because it was clearly stipulated in the Federal Constitution; whereas there is room for negotiation regarding the special grant.
"I did not sell out Sabah," he stressed, adding that Warisan managed to secure 17 out of 21 rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) when it was in power from 2018 to 2020.
Shafie’s response came after GRS deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali accused Warisan of betraying Sabah’s interests by accepting the RM53mil special grant in 2019 when it was governing the state.
Armizan said that when GRS took over, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor managed to bring the interim payment amount to RM600mil.
ALSO READ: Warisan betrayed Sabah’s interests by accepting RM53mil special grant, says GRS’ Armizan
On related matters, Shafie said they managed to get Putrajaya to set up the MA63 implementation committee to replace the existing committee tasked with negotiating this matter.
"So don’t just talk about our shortcomings and forget our achievements for Sabah," he said, adding that even the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners was restored during Warisan's term.
He said Warisan never had any confrontations with the Federal Government.
"We support it, but we say that we just want autonomy and our rights," he added.
On other matters, he said Warisan never promised to solve Sabah's three main issues of water, electricity and roads within a year if it won.
"I said we can solve water issues in areas that already have the necessary infrastructure, such as water treatment plants and pipes, not in areas that do not even have any amenities yet," he said.
The Election Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday (Oct 16) to determine key dates for the 17th Sabah state election.
