Kota Kinabalu: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been urged to seize his two-day working visit here to resolve Sabah’s 40 per cent net revenue entitlement and review the targeted diesel subsidy mechanism.
Senator Phoong Jin Zhe (pic), who is also Sabah DAP chairman, said the Prime Minister’s visit—to chair the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council meeting—must yield concrete outcomes and leave a meaningful political legacy for the state.
Phoong stressed that the 40 per cent entitlement is a constitutional right under the Federal Constitution rather than an appeal for additional federal funds, which would grant Sabah greater financial capacity to bridge critical infrastructure deficits in water, electricity, roads, healthcare, and education.
He also called on the Federal Government and the Ministry of Finance to review the targeted diesel subsidy mechanism, pointing out that Sabah's vast geography, limited public transport, and heavy reliance on four-wheel-drive vehicles for daily livelihoods make Peninsular criteria unsuitable.
Phoong noted that while efforts to plug subsidy leakages are welcome, Putrajaya should raise Sabah’s diesel subsidy quota and allocation to avoid overburdening rural communities, small businesses, and farmers.
