Harapan promises 40pct revenue entitlement for Sabah

Pakatan Harapan has pledged to fulfil constitutional requirements to ensure Sabah receives 40 percent of the revenue derived from the state if it forms the next federal government.

The coalition said it will use the "original formula" stipulated in Article 112C and the original formula of Article 112C and Subsection 2(1) Part IV of the Tenth Schedule in the Federal Constitution.

This is part of Harapan's election pledges, or "action plan", for the parliamentary election that will take place on Nov 19.

In March, then-finance minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz caused an uproar when he declared that the 40 percent revenue-sharing formula "no longer applied".

At the time, Putrajaya and the Sabah government were reviewing annual grant payments to Sabah.

A decision was made to increase Sabah's payment by 4.7 fold - from RM26.7 million to RM125.6 million - for the year 2022.

Following this, 12 Harapan lawmakers filed a suit against the federal government in June to seek a declaration that the 40 percent stipulation is enforceable. 

They are also seeking a declaration that the review conducted by Putrajaya was unconstitutional and had no effect. The suit has not been disposed of. 

Other key Harapan pledges for Sabah and Sarawak are as follows:

• Ensuring that 35 percent of Parliament representatives are from Sabah and Sarawak;

• Postal voting for East Malaysians living in Peninsular Malaysia and vice-versa;

• Appointing a deputy prime minister who is either from Sabah or Sarawak; 

• Setting up a heart unit and a cancer unit in hospitals covering eastern Sabah and northern Sarawak;

• Establishing two new public higher education institutes in Sabah and Sarawak; and

• Gazetting the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu and Sandakan and Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (SOGIP) as free trade zones.

Related reports

• Anti-discrimination pledges a major theme in Harapan manifesto

• Harapan promises 40pct revenue entitlement for Sabah

• Give us clear majority for GE15, Anwar appeals to fence-sitters

• Harapan manifesto: Pledge to lower Plus highway toll charges

COMMENT | Before the contest begins - some early thoughts

Rafizi: Harapan to form govt with Sabah, S'wak, not Umno

Kit Siang to Sabahans: This election to choose PM, not CM

Warisan eyes 26 parliamentary seats in Peninsular

Sabah DAP names three incumbents, four fresh faces for GE15

Muda's Sharizal to battle Ongkili in Sabah

LETTER | Sabahans want change, make voting easy

Warisan names three young candidates to contest in GE15

COMMENT | Mother of all elections, it is not!