KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's 40% revenue share and other state rights issues should not be used for political gain by opportunists looking to "cut corners", says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy secretary-general said these were serious matters for the state and should not be turned into political theatrics.
"Don’t cut corners when dealing with big issues like this. The fight for 40% revenue share is not a stage to look for popularity or to come across as a hero," he said after an event in Papar on Monday (May 4).
The comments from Armizan, who is Papar MP, came after Parti Warisan’s Chin Tek Ming accused the state government of being not serious in fighting for Sabah's revenue entitlement.
ALSO READ: Warisan upset by rejection of motion to set binding framework for Sabah's federal revenue dues
At the recently-concluded state assembly sitting, Chin, who is a Kapayan assemblyman, tried to table a private member’s motion seeking a resolution for the immediate implementation of Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of federal revenue derived from the state, but was rejected.
Armizan said the move for the private motion was political and could lead to confusion over the state government’s stance.
He said it was also wrong to say that GRS rejected the move to table the motion because the decision was made by Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya.
He said the state had consistently fought for Sabah's rights.
Armizan said that if Warisan wanted to accuse the state of not doing its job, the opposition party should also go back to when it governed Sabah between 2018 and 2020.
The Warisan-led state government had agreed on a RM53.4mil interim payment in October 2019.
Armizan also suggested that the Sabah Backbenchers Club file a motion at the next assembly meeting if ongoing negotiations on Sabah’s 40% payment have yet to be finalised.
"This motion is important to record the state’s firm stand and to (give the rakyat) the actual chronology of the 40% claim," he said.
ALSO READ: Hajiji denies pressure over Sabah’s 40% revenue pursuit
Earlier on Monday, Chin openly challenged Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to take a definitive position on Sabah’s revenue rights, after remarks by Putrajaya suggesting that increased payments depend on economic conditions.
Chin criticised Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), for saying that increased grants to Sabah "should not be an issue if the economy allows it."
Chin described such a position as "fundamentally flawed in law" as Sabah’s 40% entitlement is not a grant nor subject to economic conditions, but a constitutional obligation.
Chin argued that Mustapha’s statement was a shift from treating the entitlement as a legal right towards viewing it as a discretionary payment.
He also linked the issue to the recent rejection of his motion in the assembly, saying that a clear timeline to enforce the payment was not debated as a result.
