EQUAL RIGHTS: Jeffrey (seated left) and Dr Patau pose with members of STAR after the press conference.
KUCHING: The State Reform Party (STAR) plan to send a memorandum to Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and all state BN party leaders to push for equal rights from their federal counterpart, especially with regards to the state’s 18-point agreement.
Star Sabah chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the memorandum would also be forwarded to local opposition leaders.
One of the rights that the Bingkor (Sabah) assemblyman is pursuing through his Borneo Agenda is the right to a proportion of the revenue collected by the federal government from Sabah and Sarawak.
This right, he said, is provided for under Schedule 10 of the Federal Constitution in the Malaysia Agreement. It states that Sabah and Sarawak are entitled to 40 per cent of the nett revenue collected by the federal government.
“Forty per cent is a lot of money. For example, the amount of tax collected by the federal government in Sabah last year was announced as RM38 billion. This year, they target to collect RM40 billion in tax revenues.
“Imagine what we can do if we could get 40 per cent from this RM40 billion. The RM16 billion can do a lot for the state,” he told a press conference here yesterday. Also present was STAR Sarawak chairman Dr Patau Rubis.
He added that Sabah’s revenue currently stood at RM4 billion, and if the right were upheld than the coffer would snowball to RM20 billion.
“This does not even include natural resources, particularly oil.”
He pointed out that oil, land and other natural resources are state matters which are listed under the State List. The federal government cannot legislate anything under this list, and the same applies to the Federal List where states could not interfere.
Jeffrey thus wondered how the federal government could introduce the Petroleum Development Act.
“Sabah and Sarawak should move together and forget about political ideologies to pursue its rights considering the matter is of common interest. This is the best time to pursue this matter considering that Sabah and Sarawak (with combined 47 parliamentary seats) had enabled the current government to rule the nation.”
Jeffrey admitted that garnering support would not be an easy task as it involved, among others, changing the mindset of leaders.
“Often, the actions of these leaders are undermined by their attitude that Sabah and Sarawak is the 12th and 13th subservient states, and not equal partners. They have no independence in their thinking and are often subjected to what Putrajaya has to say.”
Jeffrey was here to attend the party’s combined states and working committee meeting on Sunday. Among others the meeting discussed the post-mortem on its performance in the May 5 general election.