By Azmi Salim @ Aweeg, Coordinator Change Advocate Movement Sabah, Ranau Division. also Formerly the Sabah Economic planning Unit Director
KOTA KINABALU: The Change Advocate Movement Sabah (CAMOS) today slammed GRS deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali for his dishonest and politically motivated attack on Warisan over the 40% revenue entitlement owed to Sabah under Article 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.
Armizan’s statement is another desperate attempt to distort history and claim credit for efforts that were initiated, researched, and advanced during the Warisan administration led by Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal.
Warisan Reopened the 40% Entitlement Issue after 50 Years of Silence
Before 2018, successive Barisan Nasional governments — including those Armizan supported — kept Sabah’s special grant frozen at RM26.7 million for 45 years.
It was only after Warisan formed the state government in 2018 that the 40% issue was officially raised, discussed, and documented with the Federal Government.
Shafie’s administration revived the review committee on the special grant and demanded a full recalculation of federal revenues collected from Sabah as required under Article 112D.
The RM53.4 Million Increase Was a Temporary Adjustment — Not the Final Settlement
Armizan’s claim that Warisan “accepted” the RM53.4 million as final is false.
That amount was clearly stated by the Federal Ministry of Finance as an interim payment pending completion of the full 40% formula review.
In fact, the State Treasury letter dated 18 October 2019 explicitly stated that acceptance of the interim amount did not prejudice Sabah’s right to the 40% entitlement.
Legal and Technical Work Began Under Warisan
Warisan’s government set up a legal and fiscal technical team that compiled data and arguments forming the foundation of the Sabah Law Society’s judicial review now pending before the courts.
The same documentation — produced during Warisan’s term — is what GRS now uses to claim progress.
In short, Warisan did the groundwork; GRS merely inherited it.
GRS is Taking Credit for Federal Allocations, Not Revenue Entitlement
The so-called “RM600 million” that Armizan boasts about is not the 40% entitlement, but merely an annual federal grant decided politically by Putrajaya.
It is not calculated based on net federal revenue collected from Sabah, as the Constitution requires.
Thus, GRS has not reclaimed Sabah’s constitutional right — it has only received discretionary allocations while pretending it is progress.
True Courage is Standing Up to Putrajaya, Not Bowing to It
When Warisan governed, Shafie Apdal demanded the return of oil rights, reviewed MA63 implementation, and reopened Sabah’s fiscal entitlement — actions that displeased federal power brokers.
GRS, on the other hand, has chosen silence and submission, preferring political safety over constitutional justice.
The truth is simple:
Warisan initiated the review.
Warisan built the legal foundation.
GRS is now merely spending what others fought to reclaim.
Armizan should stop misleading Sabahans with selective half-truths. If he truly believes in Sabah’s rights, he should join Warisan in demanding full restoration of the 40% revenue entitlement — not settle for token grants from Kuala Lumpur.
