MEDIA STATEMENT
09 April 2026
1. I refer to the position taken by Datuk Ewon Benedick and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO).
2. Before the last Sabah State Election, UPKO made a major decision to leave the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
3. Among the reasons raised was the need to stand firm on Sabah’s rights, including the long-standing issue of the 40% revenue entitlement.
4. That position reflected what many Sabahans strongly felt and that this matter must be honoured and implemented, not delayed.
5. Today, UPKO is aligned with the Sabah GRS state government, a coalition that includes parties from Pakatan Harapan.
6. Yet, there is still no clear and firm commitment to fully implement the 40%
entitlement. This is why many Sabahans are now asking: what has changed?
7. If the 40% issue was important enough to justify UPKO's decision to leave a coalition before, then it must remain just as important now.
8. If things have changed, then the people of Sabah deserve a clear explanation of what has changed, and why.
9. If there is no clear explanation, people will question whether leaders are being accountable.
10. In this case, the right and honourable thing to do would be for Ewon to step down from his positions as Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Industrial Development.
11. Leaders must be consistent, not change based on convenience. If they are not consistent, they must take responsibility.
12. Sabahans have been waiting for the 40% to be fulfilled for far too long. This is not a small matter. It is about Sabah’s rights and the future of our people.
13. The people of Sabah are watching and they will form their own judgment.
END
YB Chin Tek Ming
ADUN KEPAYAN
