KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan lawmakers will continue their legal action against the Federal Government to reclaim Sabah’s 40% revenue rights under the Federal Constitution.
Sabah Pakatan’s Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick stated that their position on the lawsuit, which was filed in the Kota Kinabalu High Court on June 3 last year, remains unchanged, despite their involvement in the state and federal governments.
Ewon, who is also the federal Entrepreneurs Development and Cooperatives Minister, assured that the legal process will proceed.
“Currently, all the plaintiffs (12 Sabah Pakatan lawmakers) are actively pursuing Sabah’s rights through the court system,” he said.
“We are aware of the similar court case brought by the Sabah Law Society (SLS), but our case is still ongoing,” Ewon told reporters at the launch of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Week by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who represented the Sabah Chief Minister.
Ewon stated that the court action is just one of many methods being employed to assert Sabah’s constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
These methods include legislation, Cabinet, Parliament, and special committees, according to Ewon.
“I have been appointed as a member of the Sabah and Sarawak Special Council, chaired by the Prime Minister. The council includes the Sarawak Premier and Sabah Chief Minister, and it discusses Sabah’s rights based on the Federal Constitution,” he explained.
“I have raised Sabah’s rights in the federal Cabinet. With this new platform, I will continue to fight for the demands of the people of Sabah, my party, and our Pakatan alliance.”
“Our court actions will also be addressed in the Sabah and Sarawak Special Council,” Ewon added.
“I will utilize all available platforms to assert Sabah’s rights under the Federal Constitution,” he declared.
“This issue of claiming 40% of federal revenue in Sabah has persisted for a long time. I believe we should use all available platforms to assert Sabah’s rights according to the Constitution,” he concluded.
In the Pakatan suit, the 12 MPs and assemblymen are seeking a declaration that Sabah is entitled to 40% of the federal government’s revenue from the state annually, as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.
They are also seeking a declaration that the state’s 40% revenue rights under Article 112C and Section 2(1) of Part IV of the Tenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution are still valid and enforceable.
Other individuals who filed the lawsuit include Sabah Pakatan Chairman Datuk Christina Liew, former Upko President Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran MP), and Sabah DAP Chairman Datuk Frankie Poon (Tanjung Papat assemblyman).
However, some speculate that the lawsuit is not viable since the state Pakatan leaders are now part of the federal and state governments.
Political circles argue that it becomes “tricky” for the federal Attorney General to defend a government case that involves plaintiffs, including a Cabinet minister.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
