Don’t politicize RM600 million special grant to Sabah: Anwar
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded all parties not to politicise the RM600 million Federal Special Grant to Sabah.
He, who is also the Finance Minister, said that since the establishment of Malaysia, the grant rate to Sabah was around RM26 million before being increased to RM300 million by the MADANI Government led by him and increasing further to RM600 million for 2025.
“Our responsibility is to elevate the position, dignity, economy and social standing of all states and in deciding on the grand framework, the approval of the 13th Malaysia Plan projects and the National Budget are taken into account,” he said when speaking at the National Integrity Prime Minister’s Address and the National Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption Awards (AIGA) 2025 here, today.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Director-General of the Public Service Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Also present were Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communications Datuk Seri Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) Datuk Ahmad Ramdzan Daud and Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
Anwar said the Federal Government took note of the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s decision on October 17, regarding the review of the Federal special grant to Sabah.
“Respecting the court’s decision, (therefore) it is still necessary to explain that as a country that is also concerned with integrity, we must fulfill and implement our promises, especially in the spirit of the Federation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar said matters relating to allocations to Sabah needed to be clarified so that it did not become a political toy for irresponsible individuals.
“When we talk about governance, governance and integrity, it must be viewed holistically. Otherwise, we will become victims of petty politicians.”
“That’s why in Parliament, I said that the ones who objected to this were also former ministers, there were former prime ministers and (former) provincial ministers, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
The media today reported that the MADANI Government has shown its continued commitment to improving Sabah’s prosperity by doubling the Federal Special Grant to the state to RM600 million by 2025, making it the highest rate ever recorded to date.
Anwar said the full payment of RM600 million was disbursed on September 10, as a result of an agreement between the Federal Government and the Sabah government after a review was carried out in accordance with Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.
-Agensi
