PETALING JAYA: The Federal Government respects the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s ruling on the review of Sabah’s special grant, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the Government will study the judgment’s written grounds once received.
He said further action will follow the Attorney General’s advice in Sabah’s and Malaysia’s interests.
Anwar said this during a ministerial briefing on the Sabah special grant in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Oct 22).
The High Court directed the Federal Government to conduct a joint review with Sabah under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
The review is to give effect to the 40% entitlement.
“This decision has led to misleading interpretations that the Federal Government merely extracts Sabah’s revenue without contributing to development,” he said.
“Out of respect for the ongoing legal process, we cannot disclose details of matters still before the court,” he added.
He outlined the broader Madani Government framework for Sabah’s development.
The briefing followed last Friday’s ruling that Putrajaya acted illegally by failing to honour Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement for decades.
The court ordered a joint review with Sabah on the matter.
The review must reach agreement on Sabah’s right to 40% of Federal revenue collected from the state for each financial year from 1974 to 2021 and must start within 90 days and be completed within 180 days.
