SNAPSHOT | More Parliament seats for Sabah and Sarawak, PM says; Selangor holiday Oct 26

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Sabah will receive the final RM900 million of its RM1.5 billion interim special grant by late October or early November. This payment is an interim measure and does not represent a final settlement of Sabah's 40 per cent revenue entitlement from the nation's net Federal revenue. Anwar stated that the payment would be finalized after the relevant Cabinet paper is approved by Parliament in October.

Negotiations over Sabah's 40 per cent entitlement to net Federal revenue will continue, taking into account the country's financial position as outlined in the original agreement. Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor reiterated the state's request for an expedited resolution of its 40 per cent entitlement during the MTPMA63 meeting.

Sarawak, while not facing the same constitutional provision as Sabah, proposed a similar approach for determining its special grant. An interim measure for Sarawak could potentially be announced during Malaysia Day celebrations in Kuching on September 16. The Finance Ministry and Sarawak's Ministry of Finance have been instructed to discuss the proposed formula, with the hope of an interim measure being announced at Malaysia Day.

Anwar emphasized the need to treat implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 as a national policy commitment rather than a sectoral issue.