KOTA KINABALU: Committed to honour Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has given his assurance that Putrajaya is not appealing the court decision.
“We are not appealing the 40% payment. No appeal has been filed. This matter is closed.
“This is our firm commitment. There will be no negotiations on this. We are committed to pay Sabah,” the Prime Minister said.
He explained that what the Federal Government wanted was for the court to clarify and explain on some things mentioned in the Court Order, which among others, seem to be offensive towards the sacrifices of past leaders.
“Some statements made in the court order are, in our opinion, not right. That is why we brought it to court and asked for a clarification,” he said.
“Does this affect the 40%? No. Don’t worry,” he said at a buka puasa event at Universiti Malaysia Sabah last night.
Anwar said although some parties felt that this appeal is an insult to Sabah, he gave assurance that it is not.
He said the Federal Government wants the matter cleared on record, and that was why they proceeded with the appeal.
“Leaders who keep talking about this appeal are actually using it for political reasons,” he said.
On Oct 17 last year, the High Court had ordered the Federal Government to conduct a joint review with the Sabah government within 90 days, and to reach an agreement within 180 days regarding the state’s 40% special grant entitlement for the period 1974 to 2021. The 180-day period ends on April 15.
Earlier, when chairing the Kota Kinabalu special development committee meeting, the Prime Minister directed authorities to closely monitor the implementation of every approved development project in the city.
“There should be no excuse for projects to be delayed due to inefficiency or bureaucratic red tape. Every delay will affect the people’s quality of life and restrain the state’s potential for progress and development,” he said.
Anwar said the government remains focused on ensuring that every planned project is implemented efficiently, transparently and according to schedule so that the benefits can be felt by the people as soon as possible.
The meeting was held to discuss the latest status of programmes and projects being implemented, and to examine issues related to the well-being of Sabahans.
