KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Law Society President, Roger Chin, has criticised the Prime Minister’s recent remarks on the State’s 40% revenue entitlement, describing them as a serious misunderstanding of Sabah’s constitutional rights.
Chin said the Federal Government must not confuse its ordinary expenditure on schools, hospitals, roads, or security with the constitutional obligation to return 40% of net federal revenue derived from Sabah, as guaranteed under Article 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.
“The High Court was clear — the 40% entitlement is a constitutional right, not a matter for negotiation. It represents 40% of the net revenue collected from Sabah, not how much Putrajaya decides to spend here,” he said.
He added that the Prime Minister’s comparison between RM10 billion collected and RM17 billion “given back” to Sabah mixes two different financial accounts — federal spending and constitutional repayment — rendering the statement meaningless without proper context.
Chin called for the Government to publish a transparent breakdown detailing how much revenue was collected from Sabah, how much was returned under Article 112C, and how much was spent on ordinary federal functions.
“Until these figures are disclosed, no one can truthfully claim that Sabah has received more than it gave,” he said, adding that the issue is one of obligation, transparency, and respect for the constitutional promises that formed Malaysia.
He also criticised the Prime Minister’s challenge for Sabahans to “come with facts and figures” to discuss the issue, calling it a patronising statement.
“How can Sabahans bring facts when the Federal Government itself refuses to release the data? If Putrajaya truly believes in facts, then disclose them — show the revenue, the deductions, and the payments,” Chin said.
He concluded that until the Federal Government provides full transparency, any claims that Sabah has benefited beyond its contribution are misleading and disrespectful to the State’s constitutional rights.-BNN
