KOTA KINABALU: Following the Court of Appeal’s ruling to allow the federal government a stay of execution on the High Court’s order concerning Sabah’s 40% net revenue entitlement, Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri (ANAK NEGERI) stays hopeful yet watchful.
Its president Datuk Henrymus Amin issued the statement to clarify the party’s stance and the path forward for Sabah’s constitutional rights:
While the Court of Appeal has paused the High Court’s strict 90-to-180-day timeline, ANAK NEGERI expresses its firm confidence that the Federal and State governments can and will resolve this long-standing issue in months, not years.
”The entitlement itself is no longer in dispute; the federal government has acknowledged its existence. Therefore, the complexity of historical data should not be used as a reason for further decades of delay. We believe there is enough technical expertise and political groundwork already laid to reach a settlement swiftly.” he said.
ANAK NEGERI emphasises that the stay of execution is a procedural pause, not a legal defeat. However, it removes the judicial “ticking clock” that previously forced federal movement.
In light of this, ANAK NEGERI calls upon the Sabah State Government to maintain an unwavering resolve.
The state must approach the upcoming negotiations with the highest level of tenacity to ensure that the “special circumstances” cited by the court do not lead to another era of open-ended, fruitless discussions, he added.
Henrymus reaffirmed that ANAK NEGERI stands solidly behind the Sabah State Government, the Chief Minister of Sabah, YAB Datuk Hajiji Noor, and the Sabah Law Society (SLS) in their pursuit of Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
”In this matter of state interest, we all stand united. ANAK NEGERI supports the State Government’s efforts to defend our constitutional rights at the Court of Appeal.
We must ensure that the mechanism for review is fair, transparent, and includes a clear, irreversible timeline for payment.”
The stay of execution means the pressure has shifted from the courtroom back to the political arena. ANAK NEGERI reminds all stakeholders that the constitutional duty to review the 40% entitlement remains intact regardless of the stay.
”We have seen the story of ‘open-ended negotiations’ before,” Datuk Henrymus Amin concluded. “Sabahans will no longer accept the status quo of drifting. We expect the Federal Government to act in good faith and honour the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) without further excuses.”
