Kota Kinabalu: Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis questioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s parliamentary explanation on Sabah’s 40pc revenue entitlement, saying it failed to provide concrete answers to long-standing questions about the state’s share of federal revenue.
Munirah said Sabah MPs had repeatedly asked for clarity on how much revenue the Federal Government collected from Sabah annually but never received any direct response.
“I was hoping for more answers from the Prime Minister’s explanation this morning,” she said..
“For years, many of us have been asking the same questions. How much revenue is collected from Sabah every year? What items are included in that collection?”She said the repeated replies that such questions were sub judice or “pending before the court” had become an excuse to avoid accountability.
“The people of Sabah deserve to know the figures,” she said, adding that her attempt to table a motion under Standing Order 18(1) in the Dewan Rakyat was aimed at ensuring Parliament fulfils its role as the highest platform to debate matters of national importance.
“The recent Kota Kinabalu High Court ruling made it clear — the three gazettes issued by the government in 2022, 2023 and 2025 were unlawful, ultra vires, illegal and irrational,” she said. “Yet, these gazettes were simply placed on our parliamentary tables without debate, as though we were forced to accept them.”Munirah said the issue of the 40pc revenue entitlement is enshrined in the Federal Constitution, not a matter of policy discretion. “This concerns the Constitution.
The High Court has ruled that the Federal Government failed to honour its constitutional obligation to return 40pc of the net revenue derived from Sabah. It must be discussed openly,” she said.
She added that the issue is not about accepting or rejecting the court’s ruling, but about ensuring Parliament addresses the broader constitutional implications.
“Parliament must debate this — it’s the highest institution of lawmaking in the country. Forty per cent is not a development project; it is a constitutional right,” she said.
Munirah also reminded that the 40pc entitlement was part of the promise made to Sabah in 1963 when it agreed to form Malaysia.
“The 40pc was a right given to Sabahans during the formation of Malaysia. It is not the same as development projects that are announced from time to time.
On Oct 17, the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled that the Federal Government had acted unlawfully and beyond its constitutional powers by failing to fulfil Sabah’s 40pc entitlement of federal revenue derived from the state.
The court also declared the 2022 special grant arrangement invalid, and ordered both the Federal and Sabah governments to begin a full review of the revenue-sharing formula within 90 days and finalise a new agreement within 180 days.
