Parti Warisan treasurer-general and Darau assemblyman, Azhar Matussin.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan is ready to support the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government if it agrees to propose the establishment of a Permanent Parliamentary Special Select Committee to address Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) issues in the next State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Warisan treasurer-general Azhar Matussin said such a collaboration would demonstrate unity and a commitment to transparency, aiming to prevent any delays in implementing Sabah's 40% entitlement as enshrined in the MA63.
He added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s clarification on the RM16bil allocation did not clearly differentiate the development allocations from the federal to state government and the state’s constitutional 40% tax revenue entitlement.
He said Anwar should have also issued an explanation immediately, as the initial announcement caused concern among many, including GRS leaders.
In a statement on Monday (Aug 5), he added that if Anwar is unclear about Sabah's development needs, the state should be allowed to manage its resources, such as oil and gas, and take on the responsibilities assigned under the Federal list.
Anwar clarified on Sunday (Aug 4) that the RM16bil for Sabah includes RM6.6bil in development expenditure, RM7.9bil was operational from federal agencies, and RM1.5bil was from other state expenditure, including from the constitutional special grant.
