PKR bids adieu to Upko, no address of strong-arming allegations

Sabah PKR said it respects Upko’s decision to withdraw from Pakatan Harapan and thanked the latter’s leaders for their cooperation in their time together.

However, Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakhmud made no response to Upko’s allegations that PKR had strong-armed decisions as well as undermined Upko’s leadership and Sabah Harapan’s autonomy.

In a statement last night, Mustapha (above) instead addressed disagreements about Sabah’s autonomy as a state, saying it should not be a cause for division.

“Sabah PKR holds the view that the struggle to restore Sabah’s 40 percent revenue rights, the strengthening of autonomy, and fair socio-economic development in Sabah should not be a cause for division, but instead should be a basis for unity in the spirit of mature federalism and mutual respect,” he said.

He further urged all parties, including Upko, to continue prioritising the interests of Sabahans, and to continue cooperating under the spirit of national unity and reformation.

Yesterday, Upko secretary-general Nelson Angang announced that the party has always made “Sabah First” its agenda throughout its time in Harapan, but there has been a widening gap in interpretation, views, and stance between it and national Harapan parties regarding various demands.

These are the demands for Sabah to be given 40 percent of federal revenue from the state, for one-third of parliamentary seats to comprise constituencies from Sabah and Sarawak, and for Harapan’s Sabah chapter to be given autonomy.

Further, Nelson said Upko’s chairpersonship of Sabah Harapan was never resolved by the Harapan presidential council, due to objections from Sabah PKR.

He also highlighted that Upko had been openly criticised for their demands. He described how Upko president Ewon Benedick had merely been appointed as a “coordinator”, yet decisions regarding Harapan’s election preparations were still decided by PKR without true autonomy for Sabah Harapan, contrary to the party’s claims.

Ewon says goodbye

On Saturday, Ewon officially tendered his resignation as entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister with immediate effect.

He resigned over his belief that the AGC would push for the government to appeal the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruling on Sabah’s 40 percent revenue entitlement for its “lost years”.

The Oct 17 ruling affirmed 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.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the cabinet will decide by today whether to appeal the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruling.

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