Kuala Lumpur: Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, MP for Tuaran, again called on the Federal Government to honour Sabah’s rightful entitlement to 40pc of the net revenue collected from the State, as outlined in the Federal Constitution.
During the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13) in the Dewan Rakyat, Madius reminded the government that the issue had already been discussed and agreed upon back in 1963, when Malaysia was formed.
“We have the Malaysia Agreement 1963 in black and white. It’s time to implement it. Why is this still being delayed?” he asked.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Madius, who is also the Honorary President of Upko, said while Sabah contributes significantly to the national revenue, it receives far less in return.
He expressed concern over the State’s continuing struggle with poverty due to the lack of financial resources promised under the constitution.
He further highlighted that more than 80pc of the national debt, over RM1.3 trillion, was spent in the peninsula, while Sabah’s contributions have not been fairly distributed.
“This isn’t just about money, it’s about the future of our people. If Sabah had its 40pc share of the revenue, we wouldn’t need to beg for Federal funds to build basic infrastructure like roads or hospitals,” he said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister also stressed that Malaysia’s ambition to become the world’s 30th largest economy won’t be possible if Sabah continues to be sidelined.
“If Sabah moves forward, Malaysia moves forward. But ignoring Sabah’s constitutional rights isn’t just unjust, it undermines the very foundation of Malaysia itself,” he said.
Madius also took the opportunity to ask about the status of projects proposed under the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK-12) and questioned the government’s lack of clarity on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) findings regarding undocumented migrants in Sabah.
“The people of Sabah deserve clear answers. These are issues that cannot be ignored any longer,” he added.
