Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has welcomed the Federal Government\u2019s decision not to appeal the High Court ruling affirming Sabah\u2019s constitutional right to 40 per cent of the net revenue collected by the Federal Government from the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He described the move as a historic recognition of East Malaysia\u2019s fiscal and constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy choosing not to appeal, the Federal Government is finally recognising that the fiscal provisions guaranteed under MA63 and the Federal Constitution are not optional or symbolic but binding obligations,\u201d Yap said in a statement today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the decision marks a victory not only for Sabah but for all East Malaysians, including Sarawak, who have long been calling for fairness and respect for constitutional rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution, Yap noted that the Federal Government is duty-bound to provide annual \u201cspecial grants\u201d to both Sabah and Sarawak and to review them periodically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust as the High Court found that the Federal Government failed to review Sabah\u2019s entitlement since 1974, the same can be said for Sarawak. For far too long, Sarawak\u2019s special grant has remained static and outdated, despite our state being a major contributor to the nation\u2019s wealth through oil, gas, and natural resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the High Court\u2019s ruling left unchallenged, Yap said it sets a legal precedent that fiscal entitlements under MA63 are enforceable rights, not political discretion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged both the Sarawak and Federal Governments to immediately initiate a comprehensive review of Sarawak\u2019s fiscal entitlements, taking into account the state\u2019s contribution to national revenue and the need to close rural development gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSarawak\u2019s demand for fiscal justice is not about taking more than our fair share but about reclaiming what is rightfully ours under the Constitution and MA63,\u201d Yap stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that revenue collected from Sarawak should be returned fairly to benefit the people through better healthcare, education, infrastructure, and livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yap also commended the Federal Government\u2019s acceptance of the High Court decision as a mature and constructive step toward fulfilling the true spirit of MA63.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis decision reinforces the principle that Malaysia was formed as a partnership of equal regions \u2013 Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak \u2013 bound by constitutional guarantees that must be honoured,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf Putrajaya now acknowledges Sabah\u2019s 40 per cent right, it must also recognise Sarawak\u2019s entitlement to a fair and proportionate return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yap further called for greater transparency in how federal revenue is calculated and distributed, saying that Sarawakians deserve to know how much of what they contribute comes back to the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Federal Government has shown its willingness to comply with the Constitution. Now it is up to us, as Sarawakians, to make sure our own fiscal rights are fully realised,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has welcomed the Federal Government\u2019s decision not to appeal the High Court ruling affirming Sabah\u2019s constitutional right to 40 per cent of the net revenue collected by the Federal Government from the state. He described the move as a historic recognition of East Malaysia\u2019s fiscal and constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). \u201cBy choosing not to appeal, the Federal Government is finally recognising that the fiscal provisions guaranteed under MA63 and the Federal Constitution are not optional or symbolic but binding obligations,\u201d YapRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34230"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34231,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34230\/revisions\/34231"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}