The State Government must submit an official letter of demand for the 40 percent from the Federal Government: Ewon

22 January 2024

By Wartawan Nabalu News

PENAMPANG: The State Government must submit a formal letter of demand to the Federal Government to reclaim 40 percent of the revenue collected by the federal government in Sabah, President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (UPKO), Datuk Ewon Benedick said.

Ewon who is also the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative stated that the demand must be submitted because he believed that the Sabah State Government has never formally submitted a letter of demand for repayment to the federal government.

"Perhaps in media reports, statements in Parliament, and the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), all of these have been demanded, but has the Sabah State Government submitted an official demand letter? We must also know the amount of revenue for the demands made so far and for the following years, including arrears.

"I am confident that the Chief Minister of Sabah (Datuk Hajiji Haji Noor) and his cabinet will discuss this matter in the cabinet and subsequently file this demand.

"I also hope that the parties supporting the Chief Minister will take the initiative to find the mechanism because it is highly technical and not as easy as we have been discussing and thinking all this while," he said to reporters here today.

In connection with that, he said UPKO took the initiative to submit a proposal for a mechanism to repay 40 percent of the federal revenue in Sabah to the Chief Minister on January 9.

"We want the state government to submit the demand, and my responsibility is to complete that demand because I cannot file a claim on behalf of the state government.

"I do not represent the voice of the state government even though I am from Sabah. When I joined the Technical Committee of the Malaysian Agreement Implementation Council (MA63), I can provide views that are in line with my beliefs and understanding of the Federal Constitution and the demands of the party I lead.

"Therefore, I hope that the Chief Minister and his Cabinet will discuss this matter and send an official demand letter to the federal government," he said.

Regarding the recent meeting with the Chief Minister, Ewon said he had suggested to the Chief Minister to discuss this matter as soon as possible.

"Because we have been trying to reach an understanding with the Prime Minister and other colleagues in the Federal Cabinet. So far, the federal government has not provided a timeline, only the Madani Government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has set a deadline until July this year.

"But how can we discuss this mechanism if there is no official demand submitted?"