Tag: #federal

And Hajiji Noor fails to defend Sabah’s rights

It is shocking that the federal government has refused to give Sabah a RM866m electricity subsidy to prevent a statewide blackout next year. The money is needed to pay for rental of diesel generating sets and diesel fuel  to produce electricity while the Tenom-Pangi hydro plant is shut down for repairs. Even more shocking is that the Sabah government appealed to the federal treasury for the money. In this, both prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and chief minister Hajiji Noor have erred. Mr Hajiji should not have begged. He should have demanded for it as under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, Putra Jaya has a constitutional duty to fund Sabah’s development which includes financing Sabah electrification. Mr Anwar has conveniently forgotten that his government owes Sabah hundreds of billions of ringgit in the 40 percent net revenue  it collected from the resource-rich north Borneo island state which Sabah is constitutionally entitled. And while Mr Anwar has reneged on the MA63 and held Sabah to ransom, Mr Hajiji has shown how subservient he is to the central government and that he can’t be relied on to defend Sabah’s rights.