Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the federal government will make a final decision today on Sabah’s claim to 40 per cent of its federal revenue return during a special Cabinet meeting.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, said the government will first seek the Attorney-General’s legal advice before deciding whether to file an appeal against the recent court ruling on the matter.
“I have called for a meeting tomorrow (today). We will first listen to the Attorney-General’s explanation — whether to appeal or not — let’s wait for that. Personally, I think it’s fine even if we don’t appeal. But the final decision will only be made after discussions with all Cabinet members,” he said during the Jelajah Malaysia Digital programme yesterday.
The prime minister acknowledged there were legal and procedural limitations surrounding the issue, but urged all parties to understand the current situation.
“The court has directed for negotiations to take place. I agreed — we will negotiate. But the question now is, with whom can we negotiate? Because the current government is only a caretaker government. We will wait for the elections, and once a new government is formed, I will immediately instruct that negotiations begin,” he explained.
Anwar also stressed that under his administration, Sabah has received higher federal allocations than under previous governments.
He said the federal government currently allocates RM17 billion annually to Sabah, compared with about RM10 billion in revenue collected from the state each year.
“When I became prime minister, I increased the special annual grant to Sabah to RM600 million. However, that amount is not final — the state government has requested more, and we will negotiate further in the next meeting to determine a reasonable increase,” he said.
Responding to criticism from the opposition, Anwar added: “If the opposition keeps attacking us, I want to ask — what exactly are they angry about? During the previous administration, Sabah only received RM56 million. We increased it to RM600 million — and they’re still unhappy?”
He reaffirmed that the MADANI government’s policy is rooted in fairness to all states, with a clear commitment to prioritising Sabah’s development in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“No one should feel dissatisfied because this government has shown genuine commitment to fulfilling Sabah’s rights as enshrined in MA63,” he said.
Anwar also confirmed that today’s special Cabinet meeting will not discuss a Cabinet reshuffle, contrary to speculation.
Commenting on the resignation of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, Anwar said the move was premature, as the government is still reviewing various aspects of Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue issue.
Ewon announced his resignation on Sunday through a statement on Facebook. — Bernama
