BANGI, Nov 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said the government has accepted a recent court decision involving Sabah’s allocation, which saw the amount rise from RM150 million to RM600 million, stressing the move has nothing to do with the coming state election.
“We have made a decision against the decision of the court — from RM150 million to RM600 million. So it’s a big jump,” he told reporters after an event at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) today.
Asked if the decision was linked to the state polls or political considerations, Anwar replied:
“No, because we have accepted it. I mean, I have issues with the judgment, but if we didn’t want to do it, we wouldn’t have countless meetings to try and implement it.”
He said several discussions on the matter had been held in the past, including those involving Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
“How many times, how many meetings have Dato’ Seri Fadillah had and chaired? A lot. I myself have chaired some of it — in Kuching, in KK, in KL,” he said.
Anwar reiterated that the government’s focus was to ensure fairness and accountability in handling Sabah’s allocations.
The prime minister said future discussions with the state government would continue as part of the federal commitment to resolving Sabah’s financial entitlements.
On Tuesday, Anwar said that negotiations over Sabah’s 40 per cent special grant will be expedited once a new state government is formed.
A court order directed Putrajaya to initiate the mandatory review of the special grant due to Sabah, and also agreed in principle to implement Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution, Anwar said during the prime minister’s question time in the Dewan Rakyat.
