RANAU – Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri (Anak Negeri) has urged the Sabah government to stick to the relevant financial provisions for Sabah as specified in the Tenth Schedule, Part IV (2) and Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
It’s President, Datuk Henrynus Amin, said Article 112D (1) spells out the need for periodic review of the special grants specified in the Tenth Schedule Part IV of the Federal Constitution, but at the same time, the said article clearly gives Sabah and Sarawak the right to either accept or reject any proposed change.
“In other words, any change to the existing financial provisions as specified under the Tenth Schedule Part IV can only be effected if there is to be a concurrence by the state legislature.of Sabah or Sarawak”
He said Anak Negeri questioned the need for the new formula as there is already an existing formula for special grants to Sabah as defined and specified in the Tenth Schedule, Part IV (2) of the Federal Constitution.
“We find nothing wrong with the existing formula Now it is a question of implementation, not negotiation. Why the need to change or formulate new ones,” he asked.
“Anak Negeri questioned the need to change the formula on Sabah’s special grants specified in the Tenth Schedule, Part IV (2) as it was never reviewed all those years, let alone being implemented.
He made the comments in response to the statement by the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusuf that there would be a new formula on the special grants to Sabah and Sarawak based on Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
He said Sabah should reject the proposed new formula as it could potentially remove or nullify the specific constitutional provisions where by Sabah is entitled to 40% of the net federal revenue accrued in Sabah.
He said Sabahans want answers why the Federal Government has ignored repeated calls for the implementation of the relevant constitutional provisions on special grants for Sabah.
He said until recently, the Federal Government continues to systematically deprived Sabah of its right to additional special grants provided for by the Federal Constitution.
He said Anak Negeri views the 40% state special grant entitlement to Sabah as a special state right to be staunchly defended by the people of Sabah.
“We must be reminded The Tenth Schedule Part IV was successfully negotiated by our independence forefathers to be included in the Federal Constitution to meet Sabah’s development needs, he said in a statement.
“We must honour them by defending the state rights within the framework of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the Federal Constitution they fought so hard to get for the people of Sabah during negotiations leading to the formation of Malaysia,” he said.
“Sabah is fully entitled to 40% of the net federal revenue accrued in Sabah annually in order to mitigate the facts the state is the poorest in the whole of Malaysia.”
Further, he said, Sabah’s infrastructure is almost 30 years behind that of West Malaysia and the people of Sabah have suffered and endured the highest cost of living which pushed them to the bottom pit of the economic scale.
