Dont mix the issues, says Shafie

Shafie…Sabah Law Society deserves the backing of all Sabahans to ensure compliance with the Constitution.

Nikko Fabian
KOTA KINABALU : Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie emphasized the distinction between the issues of federal special grants and Sabah’s constitutional right to receive 40% of revenue in the state.

Shafie clarified that these two matters, as outlined in the Malaysian Constitution, should not be conflated as they are separate and distinct issues.

“Article 112C of the Constitution pertains to special grants for the states, while Article 112D specifically addresses the return of 40% of revenue to Sabah,” the former Sabah Chief Minister stressed in a media statement on Wednesday.

He also highlighted that the mechanism for these provisions is clearly outlined in Schedule 7 of the Constitution, underscoring the need to differentiate between special grants and revenue return.

Shafie expressed full support for the legal action taken by the Sabah Law Society (SLS) to pursue a judicial review on the state’s revenue, emphasizing the importance of upholding constitutional safeguards.

According to him,the  matter is crucial for Sabah and deserves the backing of all Sabahans to ensure compliance with the Constitution.

The issue, he added has been under discussion for several years and has involved high-level special committees with the Federal Government on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and remains unresolved.

Shafie noted his prior involvement in addressing this issue during his tenure as chief minister from 2018 to 2020, highlighting the lack of significant progress on this particular issue.

Additionally, he mentioned the unresolved matters concerning the inter-continental shelf and oil royalty, indicating the complexity of the issues at hand.