The framework for the 40% payment mechanism will be presented to the Government - Ewon

19 December 2023

By Wartawan Nabalu News

KOTA KINABALU: President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO), Datuk Ewon Benedick, stated that he will propose a framework for the renegotiation of the 40% federal revenue payment in Sabah to both the Federal Government and the Sabah State Government.

According to him, the proposed framework takes into account technical issues related to the availability of data concerning the collection of federal revenue in Sabah since 1974 and aims to provide a more practical way forward.

"As a member of the Malaysia 1963 Agreement Resolution Action Council (MTPMA63) and the MTPMA63 Technical Committee, I have taken the initiative to hold a roundtable discussion with Sabah leaders who specialize in their respective fields to discuss a framework mechanism that can be proposed to the Government for the implementation of the 40% federal revenue payment in Sabah," he said.

"I will raise this proposed framework mechanism to the government through discussions with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister II, and the Chief Minister of Sabah before the MTPMA63 and JKMTPMA63 meetings scheduled for early next year."

I also propose that a pre-council involving members from Sabah be held earlier so that we can present a unified narrative. In essence, any special payment to Sabah should be based on the 40% formula as stipulated in Article 112C of the Federal Constitution," he said.

Ewon, who is also the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, stated that the proposed framework mechanism should be presented and discussed between the Federal Government and the Sabah State Government in line with the government's decision to set a one-year period starting from July 2023 to finalize the payment mechanism.

Ewon made this statement while chairing the roundtable discussion here today.

Also present in the discussion were former Chief Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Sabah representative in the Inland Revenue Board Datuk Petrus Gimbad, former President of the Sabah Law Society Datuk Roger Chin, Datuk John Sikayun, Chief Executive Officer of the Sabah Development Institute Professor Datuk Dr Ramzah Dambul, and former Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing.