IN SABAH, AN OUTPOURING OF LONG-SUPPRESSED ANGER: JEFFREY KITINGAN THE NEXT TO FILE MOTION ON REINSTATEMENT OF MA63 RIGHTS – ‘WE ARE ENTITLED TO 40% NET REVENUE SHARE’

PARTI Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah Star) yesterday became the third party to submit a motion to table the reinstatement of state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

The first motion was filed on November 6 by Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Junz Wong. Parti Cinta Sabah president Wilfred Bumburing followed suit three days later.

Unfazed by the failure of the two bids, Sabah Star president Jeffrey Kitingan told The Malaysian Insight yesterday he was exercising his rights under Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement 63.

The Sabah legislative assembly will convene today for the tabling of the state budget.

“Let’s just see whether the state assembly speaker will reject the motion,” he said.

Last Sunday, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia questioned the need for such a bid as the federal government had accorded to Sabah all of its special rights.

The MA63 forum group, MySabah, established by Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman, also said the move contravened Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.

While Article 8 of MA63 provides for the state government to ensure that the state is accorded its rights, Article 112D of the Federal Constitution provides for government-to-government negotiations on Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement.

Kitingan said Article 112D is often invoked to derail those calling on Putrajaya to honour and restore the state’s special rights.

He said, in the past four years, since he became the Bingkor assemblyman, the state government led by Chief Minister Musa Aman had refused to heed calls to include the state’s constitutional 40% net revenue entitlement in its yearly budget.

“Despite being reminded time and time again, Musa, who is also state finance minister, and his cabinet have contravened the provisions of the federal constitution in failing to provide for the entitlement,” Kitingan said, adding that the state cabinet had broken it oath to uphold and protect the Federal Constitution.

He said the entitlement came to more than RM20 billion a year.

“It does not matter if the federal government refuses to acknowledge and return the full 40% net revenue entitlement.

“The Sabah government and in particular, the chief minister cum finance minister Musa Aman, should do the right thing and provide for the 40% entitlement in Budget 2018 as it is constitutionally and legitimately due to Sabah,” he said.

– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com