Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee has called upon Sabah voters to support Perikatan Nasional at both state and federal levels, asserting that Sabah’s constitutional revenue entitlement can only be properly enforced if PN forms the federal government. He emphasized that PN has adopted a principled stance regarding Sabah’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Kiandee stated that achieving this goal requires cooperation between the state and federal governments. “This is our starting position and we will hold on to this stand,” he told reporters following the launch of PN’s election manifesto. He positioned the coalition as committed to respecting constitutional provisions on Sabah’s revenue rights.
Constitutional Entitlement and Legal Challenges
The Federal Constitution stipulates Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of net revenue derived from the state that exceeds 1963 benchmarks. However, since 1974, the federal government has instead provided a “special grant” based on an agreed formula rather than the full constitutional amount.
This arrangement faced legal scrutiny when the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled on October 17 that the government had acted unlawfully by failing to fulfill Sabah’s revenue rights from 1974 to 2021. The Attorney-General’s Chambers has since announced it will challenge what it describes as “defects” in the court’s judgment.
Voter Concerns and Election Prospects
Kiandee observed that many Sabahans remain undecided ahead of the November 29 polls, carefully evaluating their options amid persistent issues like water shortages, electricity outages, and governance deficiencies. “People will judge based on the problems they face daily,” he noted, acknowledging voter frustration with the current Gabungan Rakyat Sabah administration.
He expressed confidence in PN’s growing momentum, citing the coalition’s continued engagement with dissatisfied voters. The party leader characterized the past five years under GRS as particularly challenging for Sabah, presenting PN’s manifesto as demonstrating serious commitment to improving governance standards and implementing overdue reforms.
“Why vote for PN? Because we are serious about elevating state administration to a much higher level,” Kiandee asserted. “This manifesto reflects our commitment to addressing the failures of the past five years.”
Perikatan Nasional is contesting 41 seats in an election that features a record 596 candidates competing for 73 constituencies, with 1,784,843 registered voters eligible to participate.
