Yong: "40% entitlement" deadline Oct 23 budget day

KOTA KINABALU - The issue of the 40% revenue entitlement collected by the federal government to be reimbursed to Sabah has already been studied by a team led by Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan. This "40% entitlement" has been scrutinised by constitutional law experts engaged by Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman. Presentations have been made by lawyers at the recent UMS Forum organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A follow up, closed-door discussion with Datuk Anifah, Dr. Jeffrey, lawyer Tuan Hj. Ansari Abdullah, academic Zainal Ajamain, myself and others had gone through all the issues relating to the "40% entitlement" under the federal constitution, said Datuk Yong Teck Lee, president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

"All that is left now is the implementation. If the federal government is sincere, then the Prime Minister should make a firm commitment to honour the 40% entitlement in his national budget speech on October 23. With still three months to go, our federal and Sabah ministers and MPs have a duty to make sure that the Prime Minister cum Finance Minister makes a firm commitment to implement this 40% entitlement in his budget speech.

Borneonisation


"Another entitlement of Sabahans and Sarawakians is the Borneonisation of the public services. The Borneonisation case, filed in 2011 to compel the Federal Government to implement the Borneonisation of the public services as provided for in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, will go before the federal court on 20 August 2015 on the issue of locus standi.

"If the federal court rules against the plaintiffs, then it means that we have come to the end of the judicial process in Malaysia. Sabahans would then have no choice but to either initiate legal action in the United Kingdom or to petition the United Nations. The internationalisation of the Borneonisation case could only be avoided if the Federal government implemented the Borneonisation of the public services without any more delay.


RCI report

"Sabahans are fed up with committees after committees to "study" Sabah issues as though the issues are new. One glaring example is the RCI report that has gone nowhere. What has been done about the RCI Technical Committee which has yet to report to another committee known as the Main Committee? There is not even a reply to our submission on the proposed Sabah IC submitted to the Technical Committee," Yong told.