KOTA KINABALU: Nominated assemblyman Datuk Roger Chin has called for the State Legislative Assembly to stand united on Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement, stressing that the issue must be treated as a shared responsibility rather than a partisan matter.
He said he hoped members across the House could eventually speak with one voice and support a motion on the issue once it is admitted for debate.
“I definitely would hope that is the eventual outcome when the motion is filed and accepted, and hopefully everyone in this House can, with one voice, allow that motion to be debated and to agree to it,” he said during his debate on the motion of thanks for the Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s address, Monday (April 27).
Chin said a motion he had submitted on the implementation of the High Court’s Oct 17, 2025 decision on Sabah’s 40% special grant was not admitted on sub judice grounds.
While respecting the Speaker’s ruling, he maintained that the matter remained within the House’s responsibility as it concerns implementation, not the merits of ongoing proceedings.
He said the High Court had already affirmed Sabah’s entitlement as a constitutional right and ruled that the failure to carry out the required review since 1974 was a breach of duty.
“What has actually been done — not discussed, not proposed — but done — to give effect to that decision?” he asked.
Chin warned that continued references to “ongoing discussions” risked becoming a pattern of delay.
“If, after fifty years, and after a clear judgment, we are still being asked to wait, it is not a process. It is a pattern,” he said.
He pointed out that while the court decision addressed the “lost years” from 1974 to 2021, there should be no such difficulty for more recent years.
“The data exists. The revenue has been collected. The numbers are known — or can be known,” he said, questioning why payments had yet to be made in accordance with the constitutional formula from 2022 onwards.
Responding to a question from Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, Chin said the 180-day timeframe would have been sufficient if serious negotiations had taken place.
However, he noted that only four meetings were held during that period, of which three were technical.
“The 180 days are sufficient if serious negotiations are taking place. However, only four meetings were held during that period, and three of them were merely technical.
“That clearly shows there was no serious intention to resolve the matter within that timeframe. If there were, meetings would have been held far more frequently, perhaps once or twice a week, to reach a solution,” he said.
Chin said implementation should begin with years where there is no uncertainty and called for a clear timeline on negotiations.
“At some point, there must be a line between explaining and acting,” he said.
He also stressed the need for transparency, saying the people of Sabah were entitled to know what concrete steps had been taken.
Chin proposed moving towards revenue collection at source to ensure clearer and verifiable control over Sabah’s entitlements.
He said the issue was fundamental to Sabah’s development, as the state’s plans ultimately depend on having a stable and reliable financial base.
“If a constitutional right can be affirmed in court and still not be implemented in practice, then we must ask ourselves, what is the Constitution worth?” he said.
