Pn Pledges 40 Revenue Return To Sabah In Upcoming Manifesto

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The revenue sharing formula has been a contentious issue for decades.
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the coalition intends to prioritise issues affecting the people of Sabah, including unresolved infrastructure, water supply and electricity problems, if it is given the mandate to govern the state.PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional (PN) has pledged to return 40% of federal revenue collected from Sabah to the state government as one of its key commitments in the state election to come
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the pledge was in line with constitutional provisions and would be highlighted in the coalition’s manifesto for the state polls in Sabah.
“When the time comes, we will present a comprehensive manifesto. One of our key commitments will be a constitutional demand: the return of 40% of federal revenue collected from Sabah to the state government,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
The former prime minister said PN also intended to prioritise issues affecting the people of Sabah, including unresolved infrastructure, water supply and electricity problems, if it is given the mandate to govern the state.
The revenue sharing formula has been a contentious issue for decades. Sabah politicians have called for the federal government to honour Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of the amount which exceeds the net revenue derived in 1963.
Use of the formula has been suspended since 1974, with the federal government paying increased special grants to Sabah and Sarawak.
In July, deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said the federal government would decide on Sabah’s proposal to reclaim a 40% net revenue entitlement at the Malaysia Agreement 1963 meeting scheduled for Sept 12.
Muhyiddin also said that PN had held informal discussions with a political party to explore the possibility of cooperation ahead of the Sabah state election.
However, he declined to reveal further details, including the name of the party and the form of cooperation being explored.
“Certainly, cooperation will not be with Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS). We’ll see who may be interested in working together, and we’ll discuss. PN is prepared to cooperate with any party considered suitable,” he said.
PH has reached separate electoral pacts with GRS and Barisan Nasional, although the two coalitions have refused to work together despite Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s urging.
Last Saturday, Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor suggested that the state assembly might be dissolved in the coming weeks but stopped short of revealing the exact date. - FMT

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