UNLIKE the former regime, the Pakatan Harapan federal government appears to be serious about restoring Sabah’s rights, Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said today. 

He was commenting on the Prime Minister’s Office’s announcement yesterday on the restoration of seven items as discussed among the steering committee revisiting Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“We are grateful although there are still areas that need to be refined. This is what we have been asking for all these years.

“There were parties who had previously promised us many things when they were the government but nothing happened,” Shafie said, evidently referring to Barisan Nasional. 

Shafie noted the Sabah and Sarawak governments had brought up 40 issues with the federal committee chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and that only seven of them had been resolved as of July 23.

The resolved issues are export duty claims on logging exports and forest products; gas distribution and regulatory powers on electricity and gas; implementation of federal and state public works; manpower; health; administration of Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan in Sabah; and agriculture and forestry. 

On whether there was a timeframe for the handover of power, Shafie said: “Federal has already given it to Sabah, but there are still details to be ironed out.”

For instance, he said, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) owed Tenaga Nasional Bhd some RM1 billion. 

“This is why we have to practice due diligence when receiving the SESB. We have appointed a firm to deal with this matter and we are going to deal with all matters properly,” he said. 

Shafie said the committee will continue to work towards resolving the remaining issues, which include oil royalties and Sabah’s 40% annual special grant, which will take time to work out.

He said Sabah had no way of finding out how much of the state’s revenue had been collected by federal agencies like Customs and Immigration. – August 20, 2019.