Warisan president insists 40% revenue return is constitutional

KOTA KINABALU: The 40% revenue return from the federal government is a constitutional provision that needs no further negotiations, says Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Shafie stated that enough discussions had been held and it was now time for the Federal Government to uphold the Constitution and facilitate the 40% return of federal revenue to the state.

“It is provided for under the Constitution, there is no more need to negotiate. If they cannot meet the payments, then tell us when they will pay and how they can pay it,” he told reporters after attending the Warisan Pesta Kaamatan celebrations at Buhavan Square in Donggongon on Sunday (June 9).

Shafie was responding to a question on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that the federal government’s budget of RM16bil for Sabah was more than the 40% revenue return Sabah was seeking.

Shafie said that the federal budget cannot be mixed with the 40% revenue return to Sabah under the Constitution.

He explained that RM16bil was the federal government’s commitment to security, health, and education, among other areas listed in the federal list, and not under the state’s responsibility.

“The budget for Sabah is under the federal list and should be differentiated from the 40% revenue to be returned to Sabah,” Shafie said, adding that the provision is under Article 112C and 112D of the Constitution.

He said that Sabah’s founding fathers had sought the inclusion of the revenue return clause under the Constitution in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Earlier in his speech at the gathering, he noted that the money was needed for Sabah, which was lagging in basic necessities like water, electricity, and roads, while also addressing hardcore poverty.

He urged Sabahans to steer clear of race and religion-based politics, as it was very divisive.

“Race and religion should not be used for political gain,” he said, adding that Sabahans, as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, must focus on bringing about development for the benefit of all people.

“No one chooses to be of a particular race, they are born into it, and religion is an individual choice; there is no forcing,” he said, adding that the people in the state should be united and not divided by divisive forces.

“We need leadership that focuses on basic needs like water, electricity, and roads.

“Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has been chief minister for four years. He was a minister in the Barisan Nasional government from 2003 to 2018 under Tan Sri Musa Aman for 15 years.

“Yet our basic needs like water and electricity have not been resolved. Issues of hardcore poverty remain,” Shafie said, questioning the policies of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government.

He also questioned the rationale of the state government raising RM900mil through a sukuk wakalah bond only to pay off a RM1.2bil Sabah Development Bank loan given to the state-owned Sabah International Petroleum Sdn Bhd (SIP).

“Why raise the funds to pay off loans of state-owned companies? Is it to make the accounts look good?” he said, adding that such money raised should have been channelled for Sabah’s basic amenities like water and poverty eradication.