SHAMEFUL HOMECOMING FOR MUSA

AMAN: AS SABAHANS AWAIT RETURN

OF THEIR ONCE ALMIGHTY BUT NOW
FALLEN LEADER- NEW CM SHAFIE
WARNS DR M SABAH WON’T ACCEPT
ANYTHING LESS THAN 40% REVENUE,
20% OIL ROYALTY FROM PUTRAJAYA

KOTA KINABALU — A majestic house atop a hill in Luyang here had a glimmer of light last
night after months of being shrouded in darkness.

The porch lights of the Seri Anggerik mansion came on as if to welcome its owner, Tan Sri Musa
Aman, back to the country.

But the house might have to wait a little longer for Musa as the former chief minister is receiving
medical care in Kuala Lumpur for an illness that has rendered him too sick to return to the state
in the last few months.
His return yesterday, on the eve of Hari Raya Aidiladha, has reignited political chatter about his
future, but his political allies have been cautious about welcoming his return.

“I don’t want to speculate… let him recover from his medical condition first,” said Opposition
leader Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan.

“But now that he is on Malaysian soil and is medically under treatment, people should stop
insinuating. He didn’t run away,” said Kitingan.

The Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Rakyat Sabah (STAR) president said that his return was a
positive step for the parties that were aligned with Barisan Nasional (BN), and fighting for him
to be declared as the rightful chief minister.

“Once he recovers and is well, he will definitely be able to be sworn in and lead the legitimate
government,” Kitingan said, adding that he was planning to visit the former BN Sabah chairman
in Kuala Lumpur.

Returning to Kuala Lumpur via a private jet yesterday, Musa was immediately admitted to a
private hospital where he is expected to stay for a few more days.

An aide said Musa was ready to “address all outstanding issues despite health concerns”.

However, there has been an ominous silence from most of Musa’s political allies in Umno and
Parti Bersatu Sabah over his return.

Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Masidi Manjun was among the few who responded to Malay
Mail’s efforts to contact Umno leaders, and said he welcomed the leader’s recovery.

“Everyone is happy that he appears to be recovering,” said Masidi.

“The fact that he is well enough to travel back to Malaysia is already good news. We hope and
pray for his recovery. Politics can wait,” he said.

But observers said it was imperative that Musa regain his strength to lead the Opposition, chiefly
the 10 remaining Umno state assemblymen who have been debating whether to leave the party
for a local coalition.

Musa is also expected to face several investigations, including for intimidating the Yang Di-
Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, a graft probe for allegedly buying the support of state
assemblymen, and for breaking Immigration regulations when leaving the country.

Aside from that, there is also a court case which will determine whether or not he is the rightful
chief minister of Sabah, to be heard on September 3.
Following the May 9 polls, Musa was sworn in as chief minister on May 10, but was later
muscled out when six BN assemblymen defected to Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri
Shafie Apdal’s camp.

The head of state had asked Musa to step down and make way for Shafie to be sworn in as chief
minister but Musa refused, and left Sabah on May 14, the same day that Shafie clocked into
work for the first time.

Musa was believed to have been in London for a majority of the time with his family, including
Sipitang MP and son Yameni Hafez Musa, and missed three state assembly sittings. He is now
due to be sworn in by September 11 or risks losing his Sungai Sibuga seat.

The deadline is shortly after Musa’s court case against the head of state and Shafie, to declare the
latter’s swearing-in unconstitutional and maintain himself as the rightful chief minister. –
MALAY MAIL

NO LESS THAN 40% REVENUE, 20% OIL ROYALTY FOR SABAH, SAYS
SHAFIE

SABAH will not accept anything less from Putrajaya than 40% of tax revenue and 20% royalties
from the state’s oil production as stipulated in the federal constitution, said Chief Minister Shafie
Apdal.

Shafie said the federal government had only been paying around RM23 million a year from total
tax and levy collections from the state since 1974, even though collections have risen
exponentially in the last 44 years.

“The demand on 40% revenue sharing must be realised. The federal government has been
collecting a lot of taxes and levies from Sabah, but we have never complained. We don’t mind
our wealth being shared with the other states.
“But we only demand 40% of what has been taken from us,” Shafie said at an event marking the
Warisan-led government’s first 100 days in office.

On the oil royalty, Shafie said 20% of gross production was a fair demand as the state produced
close to 50% of the country’s total oil and gas.

He said that in 2013, Putrajaya collected RM32 billion from Petronas, while Sabah received only
RM7 billion despite supplying half of the national production.

Activists have accused Putrajaya of failing to pay Sabah its annual revenue entitlement or review
its payments since 1974, although mandated under the federal constitution.

Article 112D of the federal constitution provides for a review to be carried out every five years
government-to-government as stipulated under the special grant in Part IV of the Tenth Schedule
– 40% revenue entitlement.

The review does not need to only be about funds, but can also be substituted, modified, varied, or
abolished with the consent from both the state and federal governments.

However, the federal government said in 1974 that a review was not possible as the government
was not in the proper financial position.

Critics say the revenue entitlement was the deal breaker that pushed Sabah to agree to form the
federation together with Sarawak, Singapore, and the Federated States of Malaya in 1963.
Sabah agreed to give 60% of its revenue to the federal government, which would in return
finance the police, army, and navy to ensure the state’s security.

On oil royalties, activist have questioned whether the Petroleum Development Act (PDA 1974)
is unconstitutional as extraction of natural resources comes under the state’s purview, as
stipulated under the federal constitution, a law much older than the PDA itself.

When asked how soon the 20% oil royalty payment could be realised, Shafie said it was tough to
predict, as the federal government was interpreting the oil royalty payment based on profit.

“I had a meeting with the Petronas president (Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin) recently. I cannot
reveal in detail what we had discussed about, but I have made the state cabinet’s decision clear to
him that the payment must be based on gross production, not profit,” he said.

“I will soon meet the prime minister (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and the economic affairs minister
(Azmin Ali) on this,” Shafie said.

He noted Sabah is in dire need of funds for development as it is one of the largest states in
Malaysia and that the government wanted to stop the migration of its people to Peninsular
Malaysia to seek better opportunities.

“How many Sabahans have to migrate to the peninsula? I have seen hundreds of thousands of
our people working in Johor and in Shah Alam, Selangor, because Sabah can’t provide jobs for
them.

“We want to ensure job opportunities are also available in Sabah too,” he said. —
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com

MALAY MAIL / THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT