Kitingan Pandikar S Ma63 Remarks Show Grs Willing To Compromise

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Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan said his long-held fear that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) would compromise Sabah’s struggle for its 40 percent revenue entitlement has come true.
This came after United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) president Pandikar Amin Mulia yesterday criticised local politicians for turning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) into campaign rhetoric every election.
In response, Kitingan said Pandikar’s recent statement urging a “balanced and fair” approach towards MA63 echoed the same federal-friendly tone often heard from GRS leaders defending Putrajaya’s position.
“This is my fear: if they can already compromise and sit down like that, they will compromise even more.
ADS“The story today about Pandikar shows they are willing to go further in compromising.
“That’s my fear, that they will keep giving in until there’s nothing left for Sabah,” Kitingan told reporters at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport yesterday.
Usno president and former Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin MuliaDuring the launch of his book on Sunday, Pandikar argued that MA63 was not a special pact for Sabah alone, but a broader treaty which united Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore with the already independent Federation of Malaya.
He said MA63 should be understood in its historical context and that Sabahans should not treat it as an exclusive charter of their rights.
Pandikar also criticised local leaders for “turning MA63 into campaign rhetoric during every election”, adding that constant confrontation with the federal government over the 40 percent revenue entitlement would not achieve fairness.
“This is why I cannot support Kitingan’s approach,” he said.
Bowing to Putrajaya
Kitingan said Pandikar’s words reflected a dangerous mindset among some Sabah leaders who were “too eager to please Kuala Lumpur” instead of defending state rights.
“When leaders start talking that way, it shows they are no longer fighting for Sabah, but for Malaya,” he added.
Kitingan also accused the former Dewan Rakyat speaker - once a close ally in GRS - of reversing positions for convenience.
“He once agreed we must demand our rights and admitted there were wrongs. Now he says there’s no wrongdoing and that we should remain silent,” the incumbent Keningau MP said.
Kitingan also recalled that Pandikar previously told him he could not join Star’s MA63 campaign because “we have no money”, a comment Kitingan said typified how politics in Sabah had been reduced to patronage.
ADS“Wherever the money goes, they go. That’s the weakness of our leaders, not only today but in the past,” he said.
Kitingan warned that such compromises would erode decades of struggle for constitutional justice and fiscal autonomy.
“If MA63 had been fully honoured, we would not be the poorest state today even though we are richest in resources,” he added.
Court ruling
On Oct 17, the Kota Kinabalu High Court found that the federal government had acted unlawfully and beyond its powers under the Federal Constitution by failing to honour Sabah’s 40 percent share of federal revenue for nearly five decades.
The court issued a mandamus order directing Putrajaya to conduct a new revenue review with the Sabah government under Article 112D of the Constitution and agree on the state’s 40 percent entitlement for each financial year from 1974 to 2021.
Kota Kinabalu High CourtThe review is to commence within 90 days and conclude within 180 days.
Last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the federal government will decide whether to appeal the ruling after obtaining the advice of the attorney-general.
During a special briefing session at the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar told the house that he called for the briefing to clarify “misleading interpretations” of the court ruling, “as if the federal government merely extracts revenue from Sabah without contributing to its development.”
GBS formation deferred
Kitingan revealed his proposed Gerakan Bersatu Sabah (GBS) coalition, first conceptualised to unite local-based parties under a common banner, has been put on hold until after the state election due to overlapping seat claims and timing issues.
He initially planned to formalise the alliance before the Sabah election nomination day on Nov 15.
However, his focus has shifted to consolidating the Sabah for Sabahans (S4S) team, a loose alliance of local parties and movements contesting under their respective logos.
S4S is the movement Kitingan established to run the “Justice for Sabah” agenda, which promotes a strong local-based political front with the goal of realising state rights.
Sabah state legislative assembly“Yes, GBS is my idea, but we’ll defer it for now. At the moment, the S4S team is more prominent, so our focus is there first,” he said.
He added that GBS will only become a reality after the election, once parties have finalised seat allocations and agreed to formalise the coalition structure.
“Everyone wants to contest more seats, and they don’t want to be restricted now. Once things stabilise, we’ll formalise GBS and decide on a logo,” he explained.
When asked whether such cooperation would involve Warisan, Kitingan said the alliance is open to any local or Sabah-based parties.
“We cannot close our doors. Anyone who truly fights for Sabah is our friend,” he said.
He also revealed that Star will begin announcing its candidates in stages starting next week, with a manifesto to follow after coordination with partners, including the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
“We’ll announce in phases. The manifesto will be aligned once everyone is synchronised,” he said.
Kitingan said informal discussions had also been held with Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) and other parties under a shared aspiration for Sabah unity. - Mkini

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