AG’s response to priority list on Sabah rights encouraging, says Teo
KOTA KINABALU: A priority list pertaining to Sabah rights, including special grant for the state as well as power to legislate and regulate the production and distribution of electricity in Sabah, has been submitted to the Federal Attorney General Tan Sri Haji Mohamed Apandi bin Ali.
Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Seri Panglima Teo Chee Kang said the response from the federal attorney general had been very encouraging.
“We hope that there will be good news for Sabah very soon,” he said to the media after the presentation of lion heads sponsored by the state government to lion dance troupes in west coast south here yesterday.
Teo, who chairs the Sabah Rights Review Committee, had attended a meeting together with Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, the co-chairman of the Steering Committee for Devolution of Power for Sabah and Sarawak, State Attorney General Hajjah Zaleha Rose Hj Pandin, lawyers from My Sabah with Apandi in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
“In the meeting, we zeroed into some of the technical issues and legal issues we are facing.”
He said the priority list was given to Apandi during the meeting as it was realized that certain things the state government claimed in the report on the restoration of Sabah rights and devolution of powers submitted to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in May last year could only be delivered with amendment to the Constitution and existing legislation.
“Therefore, we have asked that certain things be prioritized which do not involve constitutional amendments like the special grant - the 40 per cent of the state revenue derived from Sabah.
“The other one is the power to legislate and regulate the production and distribution of electricity in Sabah.”
Teo said the power to legislative and regulate the production and distribution of electricity in the state was listed in the Federal List of the Federal Constitution.
However, he said it was a term in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that the power had to be delegated to the state government of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Presently, Sarawak still maintains that power. But for some reason, that power for Sabah was taken back by Kuala Lumpur in 1983. So those are the two things we put into our priority list.”
He said the response from Apandi was very positive and encouraging, and hoped that there would be good news for Sabah very soon.
Asked if the requests in the priority list be granted before the 14th general election (GE14), Teo replied: “Hopefully.”
To another question, he said amendment to the Constitution and legislation regarding Sabah rights would be in line with MA63.
“Certain things we are asking for would require constitutional amendment, and amendment to existing legislations.
“Other things can be done by way of administrative act.
“But that would take a bit of time, which is why we want to set our priority right.
“We put in the priority list, something that can be delivered even prior to the general election,” he said.