KOTA KINABALU: Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick says he will resign as Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister if the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) files an appeal against the High Court decision allowing Sabah to claim the 40% net revenue the state is owed.
Benedick, who is also Penampang MP, said this is not political but a matter of principle and defending Sabah's rights.
This comes after the Penampang Upko convention passed a motion calling for the Federal Government to respect the Oct 17 High Court decision.
The convention on Sunday (Oct 19) laid out several proposals, including for Benedick to take the drastic action of stepping down from the Cabinet if the Federal Government decided to appeal.
During his winding-up speech at the convention, Benedick said that as party president, he bore full responsibility for party convention resolutions.
"The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and other Cabinet members are well aware of my stand that the AGC should not file an appeal.
"I will present this to be officially recorded in next week's Cabinet meeting," he said.
He also called on the Federal and state governments to finalise a decision on the calculation and payment methods within 180 days as instructed by the court.
