Kota Kinabalu: Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri (PKAN) has called for transparency over the recent Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) Implementation Action Council meeting held in Kuching, Sarawak, demanding clarity on the status of Sabah’s constitutional right to 40 per cent of federal revenue.
PKAN President Datuk Henrynus Amin said Sabahans have the right to know whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had given a new date to fulfil the long-overdue constitutional payment.
“I challenge Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun to publicly update Sabahans on the outcome of
their meeting, particularly regarding the 40pc revenue entitlement,” he said in a statement.
Both Kitingan and Masidi represented Sabah at the first MA63 meeting of 2025.
Previously, Kitingan and Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) Chairman Datuk Ewon Benedick had assured that the Prime Minister would fulfil the 40pc payment within a year — a deadline that passed in July 2024 with no official announcement.
Henrynus, a long-time MA63 advocate, also called on leaders from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Sabah PH to explain the Prime Minister’s remarks in July 2023,
where Anwar allegedly suggested the 40pc revenue promise was unnecessary, citing a RM16 billion allocation to Sabah that year.
He further criticised Anwar’s comments during the 2023 Kaamatan Festival, where the Prime Minister allegedly referred to activists pushing for the 40pc rights as “troublemakers.”
While PKAN acknowledged Anwar’s 2024 announcement of a RM600 million special federal allocation to Sabah, the party insists this amount falls short of constitutional obligations.
“Even Sarawak, which is not entitled to the 40pc constitutional right, received the same RM600 million. Why is the amount the same?” Henrynus asked.
PKAN also took aim at the GRS-PH federal coalition, accusing it of appointing politically inexperienced and naive leaders to represent Sabah at the federal level.
“The failure to secure Sabah’s rights under MA63 is due to our representation by young, unknowledgeable leaders who lack the political maturity and willpower,” said Henrynus.
He also questioned the integrity of Sabah PH leaders, particularly those who had previously filed legal suits over the 40pc claim but later withdrew them after being appointed to government positions.
Henrynus accused Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, during his time as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, of playing a key role in convincing Sabah to accept RM125.6 million as a substitute for the 40pc right.
Citing the Federal Constitution’s Tenth Schedule and Articles 112C and 112D, Henrynus emphasised that the 40pc entitlement is a constitutional matter, not subject to political discretion.
He said the inconsistency in federal allocations over the years — from RM125.6 million in 2022 to RM300 million in 2023, and RM600 million in 2024 — without any formal recognition of the 40pc right.
“The Federal Government must recognise and follow the constitutional provisions for Sabah’s revenue entitlement. These are not decisions for the Prime Minister to make arbitrarily,” he stressed.
PKAN views the payment of RM600 million without constitutional recognition as a serious violation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.In response, Henrynus called for a referendum on the 40pc right during the coming 2025 Sabah election.
“We propose that the state election be used as a referendum to decide on Sabah’s constitutional rights. If we lose the 40pc right now, it may never return,” he said.
He urged Sabahans to vote with future generations in mind and to consider new parties and leaders — even those with limited resources.
PKAN, he said, would contest more than 20 seats in the coming election and stands in solidarity with the Sabah Law Association (SLA), which has brought the 40pc issue to court.
“The fight for Sabah’s rights must now return to the grassroots,” he said.
