KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is glad to receive the four-fold increase in special grant from the Federal Government, but it would still pursue the return of a 40% share of all revenue earned from the state, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       The Sabah Chief Minister said that while they welcomed the increase in special grants, negotiations were still ongoing to get back the 40% revenue owed, as stated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

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       "The increased special grant is a very good development for Sabah. However, negotiations are still ongoing to get the 40% as agreed in MA63," he said in a statement Thursday (April 14).

       He said the announcement of the increased special grant to Sabah showed that the Federal Government was prepared to listen to Sabah and that "this is a positive sign".

       "The four-fold increment from RM26.7mil to RM125.6mil beginning this year will really benefit Sabah. It will definitely help to push our Sabah Maju Jaya agenda," Hajiji added.

       Earlier, he attended the meeting on MA63 particularly on the special grant chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob via video conferencing.

       Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was also in attendance.

       Meanwhile, one of the team’s lead negotiators, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, said while Sabah and the Federal Government might have their own interpretation of the 40% revenue returns, Sabah will maintain its understanding of it and continue to push for it.

       He said this was among the major challenges in their discussions prior to achieving a consensus on the increase of special grants for Sabah.

       “We maintain the 40% as we understand it but the Federal Government has its own interpretation. So we have agreed to disagree on that part and will continue to talk,” he said.

       Masidi said any agreement made should not prejudice Sabah’s right to pursue the 40%.

       “We feel we are entitled (to get the backdated payment) under the federal Constitution. I hope we can get a consensus on this as soon as possible,” he said.

       He expects all parties to respect the provisions as per the Constitution even though there might be different interpretations on that.

       “The core of the matter is that the 40% is provided for in the Constitution and it also provides that if both sides don't come to an agreement, we need to refer to an assessor or arbitrator,” Masidi said.

       He also said it had been tough negotiating on the increased special grants.

       “It was tough but people were reasonable. I told them we are here as a Malaysian team, not just a Sabah team because we need to solve this problem,” he said

       “If we solve this problem, the whole country is happy. If we don't, Sabah will not be happy,” Masidi added.

       He said Sabah, as an integral part of Malaysia, should deserve its rightful place under the provisions of MA63.

       When asked if it was true that he had banged a table during the discussions, he said as humans, everyone can get emotional when dealing with certain issues but they should stay focused to get to the objective.

       “The main thing is to get results. Perhaps banging tables can help but we should not lose focus to get to the objective,” he added.