By:Angie S Chin, Lead, Vote Wisely Project
KOTA KINABALU: The RM1.5 billion announcement made during the Kaamatan Festival has generated excitement across Sabah.
Predictably, politicians, political aides, party supporters, and social media commentators have rushed to portray the announcement as a historic victory.
Perhaps it is.
But Sabahans should be careful. We have been here before.
For decades, Sabah has been fed a steady diet of announcements, promises, commitments, blueprints, roadmaps, and declarations.
Some materialised. Many did not.
Yet every time a major announcement is made, we react as though the battle has already been won. The reality is much simpler.
As of today, the RM1.5 billion is merely just an announcement.
Until the funds are transferred and received by Sabah, they remain words. Just words.
Sabahans should not allow themselves to be swept away by political excitement orchestrated by politicians or their aides whose job is to shape public perception.
Their role is to make announcements sound historic.
Our responsibility is to ask whether those announcements have become reality.
There is a difference between a speech and a payment. There is a difference between applause and delivery. There is a difference between political messaging and actual money entering Sabah’s coffers.
History should have taught us that lesson by now. More importantly, Sabahans should resist the temptation to lower the bar.
RM1.5 billion sounds like a large figure. But large compared to what?
If Sabah’s annual constitutional entitlement is estimated at over RM3 billion based on previously discussed revenue calculations, then the RM1.5 billion is only a fraction of what is due in a single year.
And if historical shortfalls accumulated over decades are eventually taken into account, the discussion may involve sums running into tens or even hundreds of billions of ringgit.
Viewed from that perspective, RM1.5 billion is not an extraordinary settlement. It is merely a starting point.
In fact, many Sabahans could reasonably ask why an interim payment begins at RM1.5 billion and not RM5 billion?
If there is genuine recognition that Sabah’s claims are substantial, why should the opening figure be so modest relative to the scale of the issue?
These are legitimate questions.
Take note that questions raised by Sabahans are not hostility. It is not ingratitude.
Questions are what responsible citizens ask when dealing with matters involving public rights and public funds.
Unfortunately, Sabah has developed a habit of celebrating too early.
We become excited by too good to be true announcements. We become grateful for recognition. We become distracted by headlines.
And in doing so, we easily forget the struggle that brought us here.
The issue of Sabah’s rights did not begin this year. It did not begin under this administration. It has been raised by generations of Sabahans for more than half a century.
Many of those who fought for these rights have never lived long enough to see meaningful progress.
Many were ignored. Many were labelled troublemakers. Many kept the issue alive when it was politically inconvenient to do so.
Their struggle should not be forgotten because of one announcement made from a stage. The true measure of success is not what was announced. The true measure of success is what is delivered.
Ask ourselves these:
- Has the money arrived? When?
- Has the payment mechanism been established?
- Has a long-term framework been agreed?
- Has a timeline been published?
- Has Sabah been given clarity on future payments and historical claims?
The above are the questions that matter.
Until then, Sabahans should remain hopeful but cautious. Support progress where progress exists. Acknowledge positive developments where they occur.
But do not allow excitement to replace accountability. And certainly, do not allow political narratives to convince you that the journey is complete when we have barely begun.
The RM1.5 billion may be a step forward. But Sabah’s struggle was never about securing a headline. It was about securing justice.
When the money reaches Sabah’s coffers, then only we celebrate.
When a binding roadmap is published, then only we celebrate.
When constitutional obligations are fully honoured, then only we celebrate.
Until then, keep asking questions. Because rights are not protected by applause. They are protected by vigilance.
