Anwar said the government had accepted the court’s decision but found issues with part of the grounds of judgment, which needed to be addressed by way of appeal.

“No (it’s not because of the state election). We have accepted (the court ruling) but … I mean, there are issues with the judgment,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

He added that the decision followed extensive discussions in various meetings.

“There were numerous meetings chaired by deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof. I also personally chaired meetings in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

The Sabah state election will be held on Nov 29.

On Tuesday, the AGC announced that it would not appeal the High Court’s decision affirming Sabah’s constitutional right to 40% of federal revenue derived from the state.

However, it said the government intended to challenge other “defects” in the grounds of judgment.

The High Court in Kota Kinabalu had also ruled that the government’s post-2021 review of Sabah’s revenue entitlement was illegal, irrational, procedurally improper, and disproportionate.

The AGC said it intended to appeal that part of the ruling.

Earlier today, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that the court’s decision had alleged major mistakes by both federal and state governments since 1974.

The prime minister said this part of the ruling must be appealed as it unfairly condemned all past governments, including the federal administrations led by Abdul Razak Hussein and the Sabah governments led by Mustapha Harun and Fuad Stephens.

He also said discussions on Sabah’s 40% entitlement would continue even while the state was under a caretaker government, with technical talks to proceed now and major decisions to be made after the election.