KOTA BELUD: Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor reiterated that the State Government’s has never budged in its efforts to claim Sabah’s constitutional rights, including the return of 40 per cent of Sabah’s revenue collected by the Federal Government yearly.
The Chief Minister said the opposition’s claim that the government under his leadership did not speak up or remained silent on the issue was incorrect.
He said Sabah’s rights were always fought for and asserted by the State Government, whether in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) or Cabinet meetings.
“If we hear the stories outside, all kinds of stories to underestimate the government role in demanding our rights. Actually, they don’t know that in the MA63 Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, I was also sitting there.
“I clearly state what we demand, including 40 per cent of the tax revenue that must be returned to Sabah. That is clear, so don’t say that the state government may not speak up.
“The meetings were recorded and minuted, not only during the 10th Prime Minister’s term (PMX), but also when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri were prime ministers.
“This (Sabah’s rights claim) can be checked in the minutes of the MA63 meetings,” Hajiji said, at the presentation of land titles under the Sabah Customary Land Services Program (Pantas) and Rumah Mesra Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) for Pintasan at Kg Pantai Emas, Sunday.
Hajiji said the effort to claim Sabah’s rights requires a consensus from all parties...currently some do not support the efforts by the government.
“In demanding these rights, we have to unite and I really hope that we unite so that it would be easy, not only to demand our rights, but to ensure that our voices are respected by the Federal Government”.
“What if we fight because we want to fight for power? Of course this kind of effort will be slow to succeed. In order to succeed and progress, I really hope that we are united in politics.”
Regarding the issue of native land, Hajiji said the surveying and handing over of land titles to residents throughout the state through the Sabah State Customary Land Services Program (Pantas) would continue.
He said Pantas which was started by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in 2011 solved the problem of delay in land surveying and giving the titles to thousands of residents.
However, there are opposition leaders in Sabah who said the issuance of land titles had started when they ruled before.
“Half the leaders thought that this Pantas programme was their initiative, especially Parti Warisan.
“That is not true, Pantas was launched in 2011 and thousands of land tittles have been handed over to the people. Not Warisan who started it.
“We will continue and I have asked the Director of the Land and Survey Department to continue it throughout Sabah.
“Any citizen who has been waiting for a long time who has not received a land title must be measured to ensure that the people get their rights,” Hajiji said.
