KOTA BELUD: CM Hajiji, for the first time, revealed that he personally requested Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim not to appeal the High Court ruling regarding Sabah’s 40 per cent net revenue entitlement as it is enshrined in the Constitution.
“The Prime Minister said, ‘God willing, we will not appeal the 40 per cent’. He did not appeal, and what is being appealed (by the Attorney General’s Chambers) are clauses considered unfairly against the previous governments.
“So, let them have the opportunity to resolve it. Negotiations already started, so what else is there? Once these negotiations are concluded, our revenue will increase,” he said.
He said he never resorted to public grandstanding to gain political mileage.
“Clearly, we have secured many achievements through my negotiations with the federal government,” he said.
Hajiji said he is not afraid to negotiate with Federal and, in fact, speaks most during the MA63 meetings.
“I have my own way of managing. I am not afraid to negotiate and in the MA63 meetings, I speak the most.
“The Prime Minister even said Hajiji may appear sentimental, but in the meetings speak a lot. I just stay quiet publicly because that is my approach,” he said.
Hence, Hajiji is confident that the 40pc negotiations can be concluded within three months, as ordered by the High Court in October.
The discussions began on Monday led by the State Secretary while the Finance Ministry’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury represented the Federal Government.
The talks at Menara Kinabalu concern, among other matters, the mechanism or method for settling the 40 per cent entitlement due to the State.
“The State Secretary informed me that they have met regarding the mechanism or method for settling the 40 per cent, including the payment process and other matters.
“We still have time – the court has given us three months (90 days) for discussions before a decision is made,” he said.
He said determining the mechanism is quite technical and requires several discussions before the State and Federal Governments reach an agreement.
“They may need to discuss it several times before an agreement can be reached,” he said.
The Chief Minister also clarified that Sabah has not yet claimed any amount and is leaving it to the Federal Government to advise on the allocation of the 40 per cent entitlement.
“We do not even know clearly how much revenue has been collected from Sabah. We have requested that the Federal Government inform us of the allocation – what constitutes the 40 per cent and what responsibilities the Federal Government has towards Sabah,” he said.
