Show the numbers for Sabah revenue, spending, Putrajaya told

Sabah Law Society president Roger Chin said federal spending should be treated separately from the government’s constitutional obligations to Sabah.

PETALING JAYA: Sabah Law Society (SLS) president Roger Chin has called on the federal government to release a clear breakdown of revenue collected from Sabah, repayments under Article 112C of the Federal Constitution, and ordinary federal spending to clarify the state’s 40% entitlement.

Chin was commenting on remarks by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who yesterday suggested that Putrajaya had already been allocating more funds to Sabah than it collects in revenue.

During a walkabout at Gaya Street Sunday Market, a member of the public had asked Anwar about the implementation of Sabah’s 40% share of federal revenue, as affirmed by the Kota Kinabalu High Court in its Oct 17 ruling.

The prime minister, in response, said that RM10 billion was collected from Sabah, while RM17 billion was channelled back through federal spending.

However, Chin argued that federal spending should be treated separately from the government’s constitutional obligations to Sabah.

“Money spent on schools, hospitals, roads, or security is part of the federal government’s duty to all Malaysians under the federal system, not part of the 40% special grant owed specifically to Sabah,” he said in a statement today.

As such, Chin said Putrajaya should “show the revenue, show the deductions, show the payments” if Sabahans were expected to present facts on the matter.

“Until those figures are disclosed, no one can truthfully say that Sabah has received ‘more than it gave,” he said.

“The constitution is not about generosity. It is about obligation, transparency, and respect for the promises that built Malaysia.”

The Attorney-General’s Chambers had said that it would study the High Court ruling before taking further action.

The revenue-sharing formula has been a contentious issue for decades. Sabah politicians have called for the federal government to honour the state’s entitlement to 40% of net revenue derived from the state, as agreed on in 1963.

Use of the formula had been suspended since 1974, with the federal government providing increased special grants to Sabah and Sarawak instead.