TAWAU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated his promise to give back Sabah’s 40 per cent share of revenue, saying his government is the first to commit itself to doing so seriously.
Speaking at a large gathering in Merotai Besar on Wednesday night, Anwar hit back at critics who doubted it, asking where were they when previous federal governments failed to act on Sabah’s rights.
“We are the first government to clearly say we will give Sabah its 40 per cent revenue share. To those who talk so much – what did you do when you had power?” he told the crowd.
The Pakatan Harapan Chairman said his party is contesting 20 seats in Saturday’s election not to chase after the Chief Minister’s post, but to maintain good ties between the State and Federal governments and ensure development projects are properly managed.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, listed several things his government has done for Sabah, including giving the State control over its own electricity, approving RM10 billion for road projects, building new schools and providing RM1.2 billion to keep the lights on.
He said Sabah is a rich State but needs good management and urged people not to keep fighting between the peninsula and Sabah, as everyone needs to work together.
Anwar also targeted politicians who used to demand Sabah’s rights but did nothing when they were in charge, unlike his government which is willing to work with the State.
He called on Sabahans to vote for Pakatan Harapan candidates on Nov 29 to ensure the Federal Government’s message reaches the people and leaders remain accountable to them.
In PUTATAN, he said the Madani government is not built on election-season fantasies but on hard deliverables. He said Sabah’s long-standing water crisis will see major resolution next year after two years of ongoing federal-backed works.
“I’m not here to promise anything new. I’m here to continue what we’ve already started,” Anwar said.
The multi-phase water upgrade project has been running for two years and is already on track for completion in 2025.
“This is not a campaign pledge. This is work already underway. Some say if they win, it will be ready next year. Hello, you’re not doing the work. We are. That’s why it’ll be ready next year,” he said.
Anwar said Sabah’s electricity restructuring and empowerment under MA63 is another example of his administration’s concrete action.
After returning regulatory power to the state and reviving the Sabah Electricity Board’s full authority, the federal government approved RM1.2 billion for Sabah’s grid upgrade.
“Sabah needed RM1.2 billion to fix the entire state’s electricity supply. The federal government approved it. This is not a promise. It is already done,” he said.
He contrasted this with previous federal administrations that campaigned in Sabah but did not restore the state’s MA63-linked electricity autonomy.
“We can only solve water, power and roads if the state and federal governments work together. If we spend our time quarrelling, the rich get louder while the poor suffer,” he said.
Praising the working relationship with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Anwar said the ease of collaboration has directly accelerated approvals for water, electricity, roads, flood recovery and education infrastructure.
He cited the immediate approval of a new teacher training college after the old campus in Gaya was found unsafe, with RM200 million already allocated.
“I’ve met Hajiji 20 times. Not once did he ask for projects for himself. He asked for Sabahans. That’s why this cooperation works,” he said.
Anwar reminded the crowd that a peaceful, multi-ethnic Malaysia is built on institutions that need proper support. He pointed out that civil servants, police and military personnel received their first pay rise in 12 years under the Madani administration, with lower grades enjoying up to 30pc.
“These decisions elevate everyone, including Sabahans,” he said.
“If Sabah wants results, and Malaysia wants to move forward, federal and state relations must remain strong,” he said.
In TUARAN, Anwar Ibrahim urged voters to assess the effectiveness of any leader based on their record while holding power, not those who after leaving office return to criticise the current government.
Anwar said it was inappropriate for leaders who once headed a government to criticise as though they had never been given the opportunity to resolve the very problems they now use as political capital.
“If you want to judge whether the Chief Minister is effective or not, whether the Federal Government and the Prime Minister are effective or not, evaluate them now, when they are in power,” he said.
The Prime Minister said some leaders only become vocal after retiring or losing power, even though their own service record shows little effort during the time they were in charge.
Anwar said that every state, including Sabah and even Selangor, has its own issues, but the Government’s priority is to ensure real solutions, not empty rhetoric.
He placed special focus on the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), saying this was the first time many of Sabah’s demands had been resolved concretely after decades of being discussed without action.
“Look at MA63. These are State powers. How many decades has it been? How many Chief Ministers? This is the first time the State Government asked for powers to be returned from the Federal Government. I agreed.
“It took time, amendments had to be made in Parliament and it passed...for example, now the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd has returned to Sabah, no longer under Federal control,” he said.
“I hope that the 40 per cent will be implemented. I brought it to the Cabinet. What does this mean? It means the Federal Government must take it seriously. If we only demanded it without discussion, it would not succeed. We discussed it carefully and agreed.
“I raised it in the Cabinet and in Parliament. I announced in Parliament: yes, the Federal Government will honour its commitment and implement the 40 per cent immediately. No idle talk, no angry rhetoric. This is how leadership should work.” “When some say they disagree and get angry, or try to lecture others, even when we (Federal) already agreed like in the case of 40 per cent to implement it, to me this is a disease in politics. “Leadership is not about being the only one who is right. It is about working for the people,” he said. On Hajiji, he said:“Since I first met him as Chief Minister while I was Prime Minister, not once he asked for anything personal. Day and night he ‘disturbs’ me, but he disturbs me for the people...water, electricity, roads. That is what we want,” he said.
Anwar said he respected Hajiji for consistently bringing Sabah’s voice to the Federal level without shifting his stance even when facing political pressure.