Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan welcomes the suggestion to declassify the letter issued by the then Warisan-Plus State Government in 2019 to the Federal Ministry of Finance pertaining to the interim special grant pending decision on the 40 per cent of taxes collected from Sabah under MA63.
Warisan Vice President Datuk Jaujan Sambakong said a full disclosure would reveal that Warisan had, in fact, negotiated and only accepted the amount to be paid at that time because Sabah needed the funds.
“However, Sabah would have continued to appeal for a higher rate as the special grant had not been reviewed since 1969,” he said in a statement.
He was responding to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali who demanded the letter be made public.
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“Armizan must have overlooked what was already made public nearly four years ago. For his information, it was reported widely in the media too and he failed to read it.
“But have a full disclosure and let the truth come out,” said Jaujan who is former Sabah Minister of Local Government and Housing.
In his speech, Lim had announced that for the first time since 1969, the special grant to Sabah and Sarawak would be doubled for 2020.
A provision in the Federal Constitution stipulates that a review of the special grant is required every five years.
Lim said the rate would be doubled to RM53.4 million for Sabah and RM32 million for Sarawak for the year 2020 and thereafter to increase it again to RM106.8 million to Sabah and RM64 million for Sarawak within five years.
Jaujan said In previous years, the amount for Sabah was RM26.7 million and RM16 million for Sarawak per annum.
“After the special grant rate was announced, the Chief Minister then, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg continued to call for discussions on improved rates to be made in the MA63 Committee.
“We took note of the increased rate but in the MA63 Committee we still demanded 40 per cent for Sabah.
We didn’t want to agree to the new formula proposed at that time because it was far less than what is due to Sabah.
It is therefore interesting to note that current Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor agreed and signed to a new formula that will deprive Sabah of billions of ringgit.
“What he has done is to commit Sabah to this new formula when he accepted the RM125.6 million special grant that was gazetted on 20 April 2022 PU (A) 119.
“In contrast, there was no gazette issued to indicate that Shafie had agreed to the rates announced by Lim Guan Eng,” said Jaujan.
Hajiji said Sabah performed well in 2022 with a revenue of RM6.6 billion but Jaujan said if the 40 per cent as provided under Article 112C is applied, the state should collect RM2.64 billion.
“If all is fine in the GRS government, Armizan should find out why the 40 per cent special grant is now a court case filed by the Sabah Law Society and the Sabah Pakatan Harapan elected representatives.
“Several of the PH assemblymen were also state ministers in 2019 so they are aware of what transpired when we were demanding for the special grant,” he added.
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