Hak 40% Sabah bukan syarat sokong kerajaan Madani, kata pegawai Mustapha

Sabah's special 40% allocation remains an issue that must be resolved effectively without undermining national constitution, according to Mustapha Sakmud, the Deputy Prime Minister's Office official. The special provision is not a bargaining chip for political support of the Madani government, Farid Sainuri, a spokesman for Mustapha, clarified.

The special provision is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and is not dependent on the ruling government. Farid sought to clarify media reports since September 27 which quoted Mustapha as saying that the people of Sabah must maintain Madani's government if interim payments of RM1.5 billion are to continue. Farid emphasized that Mustapha's statement was taken out of context, not implying any political support for the government.

He stressed the records of the federal government's management in increasing interim payments to Sabah up to RM1.5 billion annually. Farid also stressed that the RM1.5 billion interim payment is not and has never been a substitute for resolving the special allocation issue. Instead, it is a temporary payment until the full special allocation is mutually agreed upon between the state government and Putrajaya.

He also noted that discussions on the formula, actual value and mechanism for its implementation are ongoing between the State Finance Chief and the Finance Minister's Special Advisor. The key priority remains resolving any issues related to Sabah's and Sarawak's special allocations in MA63 without compromising national unity, Mustapha reiterated.