KOTA KINABALU: Failure to comply with a High Court order mandating the review and implementation of Sabah’s 40% net revenue entitlement would not only have legal repercussions but also political consequences, says Warisan.
Its secretary-general, Datuk Loretto Padua, said the Oct 17 Court order on this matter has yet to see concrete progress, although the 90-day mark for a fresh review has passed.
“If this continues, the consequences will not just be legal. They will be political,” he warned.
He said that by now, the next step would be towards the implementation of the payments within 180 days from the date of the court order.
Loretto said while he understood it was not the right time for the then caretaker government to make any statement when the court order was given, the newly formed state government can now talk about it.
“Yet the Chief Minister has remained silent. When a High Court order in a constitutional matter is treated as flexible or optional, it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Court orders are not subject to political convenience and constitutional rights cannot be managed according to comfort or timing,” he said.
Loretto said constitutional rights were not negotiable and Sabah is not a junior partner in this Federation.
“We will not accept delay or excuse non-compliance,” he added.
