Sabah Harapan chief quits as minister

Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Ewon Benedick has announced his resignation from the cabinet.

The United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president said the move comes as he anticipates that the Attorney-General’s Chambers will continue to advise the government to appeal a High Court ruling regarding the 40 percent federal revenue that Putrajaya owes Sabah.

“While I believe the AGC will advise the prime minister and the federal cabinet, based on its stance as recorded in the written judgment, I do not foresee any new advice forthcoming.

“For that reason, I will hold firm to my principles, as outlined in Upko’s constitution, to continue fighting for the implementation of MA63 and Sabah’s constitutional rights,” he said.

“Accordingly, I will submit a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to inform him of my resignation from the federal cabinet,” he said in a statement tonight on Facebook.

The move comes a day after Ewon, who is also the Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairperson, attended a cabinet meeting on Friday.

However, the Upko president appeared to have deliberated on his resignation for some time.

On Oct 18, Ewon accepted a resolution passed by an Upko division, urging him to quit if an appeal is filed.

He had reportedly told ministry officers at a meeting in Temerloh last week that it might be his last speech as minister.

The government has yet to file an appeal, but Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said earlier today that the 109-page written judgment is being examined by the AGC.

“The judgment must be carefully studied so that the overall mechanisms are fully understood, and no irregularities or actions contrary to the Constitution occur,” said Fahmi in Kota Kinabalu.

Clashing stance with AGC

Ewon said he could not agree with the AGC’s position and views as recorded in the written judgment.

“The AGC serves as the legal adviser to the prime minister and the federal government of Malaysia.

“It is therefore untenable for me to continue as a member of the federal cabinet given the AGC’s position, which I believe will remain unchanged.

“Their approach to Sabah’s 40 percent entitlement over the three years I have served in the federal cabinet has been completely inconsistent with my position as Upko president,” he said.

He also reiterated his position that the AGC should not file an appeal, but instead initiate negotiations with the Sabah government to implement the 40 percent entitlement.

The Kota Kinabalu High Court on Oct 17 ruled in favour of the Sabah Legal Society’s judicial review, affirming that Sabah is constitutionally entitled to 40 percent of federal revenue collected from the state under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.

The court also ordered the federal and state governments to review and settle within 180 days arrears for the “lost years” from 1974 to 2021, when no review of Sabah's share of revenue was carried out.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | What are Sabah’s ‘lost years’?

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