Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) on Sunday challenged Pakatan Harapan Chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to openly declare his stand on the 40 per cent tax revenue owed to Sabah, instead of ducking the issue by saying he is not Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Both parties are components of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
SAPP President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said whether a PH Federal Government would respect and honour the constitutional rights of Sabah in getting back the 40pc nett tax revenue is what Sabahans want to know.
“What has the 40 per cent tax revenue got to do with the comparison of Anwar and Dr Mahathir?
“In fact, Anwar should apologise to the Sabah people because the PH Minister of Finance who brushed aside the 40 per cent tax revenue was none other than Anwar’s DAP supremo Lim Guan Eng who infamously said the Federal Government had no money,” Yong said in a statement. Our report on Nov 13, 2022.
Yong said the only issue put forward by PH in the general election campaign is that Anwar wants to become Prime Minister of Malaysia.
“If Anwar wants to fulfil his dream of becoming Prime Minister, then he has to show leadership and honesty in his promises to the people of Sabah,” he said.
Anwar was reported to have said “I am not Mahathir” when asked by Daily Express whether a PH Federal Government would consider the 40pc issue at a ceramah at Sulaman Sentral on Saturday night.
The previous short-lived PH government led by Dr Mahathir promised it as well as 20 per cent oil revenue in the 2018 election manifesto but later reneged saying the Government could not afford it.
A court action initiated by Upko and 13 elected representatives, a Pakatan Harapan partner on the 40pc issue faced objection in court with no new development.
However, a Judicial Review by the Sabah Law Society on the same was upheld on the basis that SIS had locus standi to pursue.
Tuaran GRS candidate Datuk Joniston Bangkuai of PBS also questioned the non-committal stance by Anwar on the issue.
“He couldn’t commit or even state that he would return the 40 per cent. Why should it be turned into a game of ‘teka-teki’? That’s because they promised it during the last election but didn’t follow through.
“Therefore, Anwar is now afraid to make promises or take responsibility. The pursuit and continuation of demands is something GRS is not going to give up on,” said Joniston.
He said unlike Pakatan Harapan, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional state government would not rest in its efforts to claim the 40pc revenue collected from Sabah by federal.
He said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has been proactive in seeking what is due to the state and has proven results in just two years of leading the state.
“There is no denying this. The RM26.7 million annual special allocation for Sabah is one example. Hajiji was so persistent in his negotiations to raise Sabah’s special allocation that the federal government eventually bowed to his demands and raised it to RM125.6 million this year.
“The GRS-BN state government under Hajiji’s leadership has had strong relations with the previous federal government, and both parties agreed to continue talks about Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue demand.
“This exemplifies GRS’s unwavering stance and commitment to defend Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963 (MA63). Therefore, regardless of who ends up leading the federal government, the GRS-BN state government is ready to engage with the country’s top leader to obtain what is rightfully Sabah’s,” Joniston said at a ceramah at Marabahai, Sunday.
He reemphasised the need to have a representative from the current state administration to serve as a MP to bolster the state’s position during discussions and collaborations with the federal government.
Joniston is set to wrest the Tuaran parliament seat from incumbent Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (Pakatan Harapan). He also faces Jo-Anna Sue Henley Rampas (Warisan); Muminin Kalingkong @Norbinsha (Parti Pejuang Tanah Air); Bobby Lewat (independent), and Datuk Noortaip Suhaili (independent).
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