KOTA KINABALU, Oct 17 — The Sabah government today hailed the High Court’s landmark decision affirming the state’s constitutional right to 40 per cent of federal revenue derived from Sabah, calling it a long-overdue vindication of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
In a ruling, High Court Judge Datuk Celestina Stuel Galid declared that the 40 per cent special grant is a constitutional right, not a privilege subject to negotiation.
She ordered the federal and state governments to conduct a fresh review of the amount owed within 90 days and reach an agreement within 180 days.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the ruling marked a “historic recognition” of Sabah’s rights under the Federal Constitution.
“We are relieved with the High Court’s decision… It confirms Sabah’s right as stipulated in the Constitution,” Hajiji said in a statement.
He stressed that the state government has relentlessly pursued this issue through every formal channel, including Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) meetings chaired by the prime minister and “countless official letters sent to Putrajaya.”
“Not once have we allowed this matter to pause. With this decision, we hope that the federal government will fulfil its responsibilities as agreed upon during the formation of Malaysia,” he said.
Hajiji added that the state’s efforts in clarifying historical records were instrumental in reaffirming that the intent of the constitutional provisions remains unchanged and that Sabah’s acceptance of interim payments was always without prejudice to its full constitutional rights.
Moving forward, he said the state government will continue to engage with Putrajaya to implement the court’s orders in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.
He also commended the Sabah Law Society for bringing the judicial review as a matter of public interest.
