KOTA KINABALU: The Members of Parliament and the members of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly from Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah today filed a legal action at the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak at Kota Kinabalu to seek for a declaration amongst others for Sabah entitlement of the 40% nett revenue derived by the Federal Government from Sabah annually to be respected and delivered.
According to Sabah PH lawyer Nelson W Angang, five Members of Parliament and sevenbMembers of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly have each initiated an action as Plaintiffs and had named the Government of Malaysia as the 1st Defendant and the State Government of Sabah as the 2nd Defendant.
With the recent announcement on the 14th of April 2022 by the federal government and the Sabah state government that they have agreed for a review pursuant to Article 112D of the Federal Constitution but not on the basis and the acknowledgment of Sabah’s 40% entitlement is a great disappointment to every Sabahan, he said.
Explaining further, Nelson said the recent revelation by the Finance Minister in Parliament that Sabah’s 40% entitlement is no longer applicable is clearly a breach of the Malaysia Angreement.
“We can no longer ignore the continuous infringement of the constitutional right of the people of Sabah,” he said in a press conference here.
Among elected reps present at the court complex are Sabah PH chairman Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon, Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin and UPKO vice president cum Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Nelson said Sabah had agreed to the formation of Malaysia based on many special terms that is not available to the other 11 Peninsular States in the Federation of Malaya.
The joint statement was issued by all Sabah PH MPs and State Assemblymen.
Sabah PH MPs – Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran), Datuk Christina Liew (Tawau), Chan Foong Hin (Kota Kinabalu), Awang Husaini Sahari (Putatan), Noorita Sual (Tenom) and Vivian Wong Shir Yee (Sandakan).
Sabah PH state assembymen – Datuk Christine Liew (ADUN Api-Api), Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung (ADUN Tanjong Papat), Datuk Ewon Benedick (ADUN Kadamaian), Phoong Jin Zhe (ADUN Luyang), Jannie Lasimbang (ADUN Kepayan), Tan Lee Fatt (ADUN Likas) and
Peto Galim (Inanam).