Former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal said his administration’s decision to accept a RM53.4 million special grant from Putrajaya in 2019 was made in light of the federal government’s fiscal constraints at the time.
The Senallang assemblyman dismissed claims that by accepting the grant, his administration had abandoned Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of the federal revenue.
“We never refused to fight for Sabah’s rights, but at that time, the federal government was facing budget limitations.
“The national budget then was around RM200 billion, compared to RM400 billion today,” he said at a press conference in Kota Kinabalu, as reported by Sayang Sabah.
On Sunday, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali had questioned what Warisan had done, while in power, to reclaim 40% of the federal revenue…