Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights (Sabar) expressed disappointment on the announcement that Sabah’s revenue sharing formula will only be finalised by July next year.
On Saturday, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick announced that the Federal Government agreed to finalise the mechanism, which was achieved through the participation of Sabah leaders in the MA63 technical committee.
Sabar Board of Trustees Chairman Datuk Dr Johan Arriffin said it would be too long to wait until next year.
“In December 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the restoration of Sabah’s and Sarawak’s rights as enshrined in MA63 will be resolved within a month. Our report on Sept 10, 2023.
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“There is no further information whether this money has been disbursed to the State or how it will be spent.
“Ewon’s statement is only about the formula and not the payment. Why is it taking so long to work out a formula when the process has already been written in the Constitution?
“If there is any ambiguity, it should not take another 10 months to decide,” he said in a statement, Sunday.
Dr Johan said delays in the revenue stream sharing as enshrined in the Constitution will affect the wellbeing of Sabahans who are already suffering the highest rate of poverty in Malaysia after 60 years.
“Even June 2024 is not certain given the current fluid political situation. Sabahans have suffered long enough and it’s time for our political leaders to seek a firm and shorter deadline in resolving the revenue sharing issue.
“The matter has been discussed by numerous MA63 committees from GE14. We had four changes of government and Prime Minister since then.
“The Sabah Law Society has done the right thing to take the 40 per cent revenue sharing to court.
“If the political will is not there to resolve people’s issues, the Government should support NGOs and other organisations to bring peoples’ issues to court,” he said.
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