KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government’s decision not to appeal the High Court ruling on the 40% special grant entitlement to Sabah is the right move and one long awaited by the people of the state, says Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning senior lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Romzi Ationg.
He said the decision showed the government’s commitment to upholding the Federal Constitution and respecting Sabah’s rights as stated in the Malaysia Agreement.
"I think such a decision is appropriate. This is about the Constitution. If we do not uphold the Constitution, that’s not right. So the government’s decision not to appeal is the most accurate one and has been awaited by the people of Sabah,” he said when contacted by Bernama on Tuesday (Nov 11).
According to him, the decision not only pleased the people of Sabah but also drew attention from the public nationwide, who wished to see the government act firmly in executing Constitutional justice.
"So perhaps with this announcement, the people’s confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will receive a boost,” he said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi MARA’s Sabah Campus Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies senior lecturer, Tony Paridi Bagang, said the Federal Government’s decision not to file an appeal eased the concerns of Sabahans.
"It reflects the commitment of the Federal Government and quashes the speculation that recently stirred sentiment among Sabahans on this issue. However, the statement (from the Attorney-General’s Chambers) also mentioned that the Federal Government will examine the flaws in the judicial reasoning. Therefore, there remains room for review on this matter,” he said.
On Oct 17 last year, the Kota Kinabalu High Court held that the Federal Government had acted unlawfully and exceeded its constitutional powers by failing to fulfil Sabah’s right to 40% of federal revenue for the years 1974 to 2021.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in a statement today said the Federal Government’s decision not to appeal the ruling on the 40 per cent entitlement showed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim understood the hopes and aspirations of Sabahans.
He said the Sabah Government expressed its appreciation to Anwar and the Cabinet for the decision, which reaffirmed Sabah’s constitutional right to the special 40% grant.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said a Special Cabinet Meeting had decided not to appeal the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruling on Sabah’s 40% entitlement as provided for under the Federal Constitution.
According to the statement, the government upheld the principle of the special grant and would commence negotiations with the Sabah Government immediately.
However, the government would appeal the defects in the Grounds of Judgement concerning allegations of abuse of power and constitutional breaches involving both governments since 1974. - Bernama
