Sabah Special Grant Negotiations To Continue In A Meticulous, Orderly Manner - Mustapha

KOTA KINABALU, April 11 (Bernama) -- The government will ensure that the negotiation between the Federation and the state of Sabah regarding the review and payment of the 40 per cent special grant to Sabah runs smoothly through continuous coordination between the relevant parties.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said he is acting as a coordinator to ensure that the engagement between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the state government is implemented effectively.

He said this was in line with his responsibility in coordinating the MA63 Technical Committee and the MA63 Main Committee to ensure that the negotiations between the federal and state governments run smoothly.

“The governments have asked for a little delay so that we can study the data because we have to find data from 1974 until now, so the Ministry of Finance and the state government asked for some time.

“I give a commitment to the people of Sabah, I myself, as the minister responsible for coordinating between the Federation and the state, will ensure that this process runs smoothly,” he told reporters after the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency Aidilfitri Celebration here tonight.

On Oct 17 last year, the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled that the Federal Government had acted unlawfully and beyond its constitutional powers when it failed to fulfil Sabah’s right to 40 per cent of the federal revenue collected from the state from 1974 to 2021.

However, on Apr 6, the Court of Appeal allowed the federal government’s application to stay the High Court’s order regarding the review of the assessment and payment of the Sabah Special Grant.

Commenting further, Mustapha, who is also the Sepanggar Member of Parliament, said he would hold a meeting with Sabah Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun in the near future to discuss the matter further.

He said the postponement of the review would give both parties space and time to study the data, continue negotiations carefully to avoid any inaccuracies, as well as present and reach agreement on the facts that will be presented later

-- BERNAMA