KOTA KINABALU : Pursuant to the GRS Presidential Council meeting held at Seri Gaya here today, we have taken note of the grounds of judgment delivered today by the court pertaining to the High Court’s 17 October 2025 decision affirming Sabah’s constitutional right to the 40% special grant for the years 1974 to 2021 from the Federal Government.
This is not merely a legal matter — it is a question of constitutional honour. Article 112C and Article 112D of the Federal Constitution, together with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), form the very basis of Sabah’s agreement for the formation of Malaysia. The judgment simply gives effect to what has always been written and agreed.
For that reason, we urge the Honourable Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and the Federal Government not to appeal the decision. The Court has not imposed any financial quantum penalty – only directed that the long-overdue constitutional review be carried out in accordance with Article 112C and Article112D. To appeal would be to oppose the process of negotiation itself, not the outcome.
Following the High Court ruling, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor has immediately directed the Ministry of Finance, the Sabah Economic Planning Unit (EPU), and the State Attorney-General’s Chambers to study the grounds of judgment in detail. The State is ready and prepared for a meaningful engagement with the Federal Government in strict compliance with the orders of court to hold a review and finalise an agreement for what is due and owing.
For far too long, ordinary Sabahans, from Pitas to Pensiangan, have lived with power cuts, unpaved roads, and clinics without doctors. Not for want of effort or ability, but because the resources due to Sabah have not been delivered in full. When the lights go out in a child’s classroom, when a mother walks hours to reach a hospital, when our youth leave because they see no future here — those are not statistics. They are the real consequences of decades of inequity.
In this regard, we assure Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim that underthe Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Haji Noor’s leadership, Sabah will always maintain a constructive and respectful working relationship with Putrajaya.
We stand firm in our unequivocal support for the Prime Minister. As Malaysians, we take pride in his distinguished leadership, which has elevated our nation’s standing on the global stage.
The PM’s approach marked by inclusion, openness, and genuine regard for the aspirations of Sabahans, resonates deeply with all of us. Through the Prime Minister and his administration’s commitment to Sabah, the GRS government has successfully obtained 13 of the 29 MA63 claims from the federal government.
We reaffirm GRS’s absolute and uncompromising pursuit, on behalf of the over 3 million people of Sabah, of the full benefit of all entitlements under the Federal Constitution and MA63, as set out in the Chief Minister’s previous statement dated 17May 2024.
This victory is not just about numbers on a balance sheet. It is about restoring faithin justice to every Sabahan who has been told to wait — year after year — for basic necessities that others in Malaysia have enjoyed for decades. It is about ensuring that no village remains in darkness, no school without proper facilities, and nocommunity left behind simply because the funds that rightfully belong to Sabah never arrived.
Sabah’s claim is not a demand, but a right. It is a constitutional duty that transcends governments and political terms. Upholding it demonstrates that Malaysia is governed by law and good faith, not convenience.
Let this be the moment the Federal Government not only keeps its promises, but beginsto heal the decades of neglect felt by the people of Sabah. The Prime Minister will be remembered by all Sabahans and Malaysians as a leader who cares. – pr/BNN
