Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said he had repeatedly affirmed in Parliament and Cabinet discussions that his administration would respect the state’s entitlement.
He said the issue was not just a political slogan, as some had claimed, and that the government was the first to take concrete steps towards implementation.
“I have stated in the Cabinet and announced in Parliament that the federal government will honour this commitment and implement the 40% immediately,” he said in his speech during a meet-and-greet session at the Bajau Samah Cultural Hall here.
Present was caretaker chief minister Hajiji Noor, who is also chairman of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
On Oct 17, the Kota Kinabalu High Court held that the government had acted unlawfully and beyond its constitutional powers in failing to fulfil Sabah’s rights to tax revenue for the years 1974 to 2021.
The court also declared the special grant arrangements made by both the federal and state governments “unlawful, ultra vires, and irrational”.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers later announced that the government would challenge “defects” in the grounds of judgment.
Electricity power handover
Anwar also hit back at claims that the federal government was not serious about fulfilling Malaysia Agreement 1963 obligations, calling them baseless.
He said significant progress had been made, including returning control of electricity to Sabah, a move not undertaken by previous administrations.
He said the decision to hand Sabah Electricity (SEB) back to the state government came after detailed negotiations between both parties and was formalised through an amendment to the law passed in Parliament.
“This is the first time Sabah has requested that electricity powers be returned, and we agreed. SEB now belongs to Sabah, and is no longer under federal control,” Anwar said.
He added that Putrajaya had approved an additional RM1.2 billion to help Sabah resolve long-standing electricity issues, including areas still lacking a stable supply.
Anwar reminded voters to judge leaders based on administrative track records rather than divisive rhetoric or emotional appeals.
“Politics is not about getting angry every day and saying everyone else is wrong. We take care of all people: Kadazan, Murut, Bugis, Chinese, Muslim, and Christian. That is the responsibility of the government,” he said.