KOTA KINABALU, April 2026 – Member of the Sabah State Assembly (ADUN) for Sungai Sibuga, YB Lisa Hassan Alban, urged the Sabah Government to be more assertive in defending the state's rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), particularly regarding the 40 percent revenue claim which she stated is the constitutional right of the people of Sabah.
In her speech during the Sabah State Assembly debate, Lisa said the people of Sabah are still facing various basic issues such as unstable water supply, damaged roads, and high cost of living despite various development and digitalization agendas announced by the government.
She described the situation as evidence that the fundamental development issues of the state remain unresolved even though the government talks about the “SMJ 2.0” agenda, the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13), and digitalization.
“The people cannot be fed with mere data; the people do not get full from policy announcements,” she said.
According to her, Sabah needs to return to the fundamental principles of the formation of Malaysia as an equal partnership and not merely as part of the central administration.
She stated that Sabah's rights are clearly enshrined in the Federal Constitution, the 1962 Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report, and the Cobbold Commission, in addition to Article VIII of MA63 which she claims is a constitutional mandate that must be implemented.
Lisa also questioned the delay in resolving the MA63 issues after the previous government promised that 17 key issues would be resolved within three years.
“It is now April 2026, but the MA63 dashboard still shows only 13 issues resolved while over 50 issues need to be addressed, including four petroleum issues,” she said.
At the same time, she alleged that there are attempts to change the basis for calculating the 40 percent revenue of Sabah which should be based on the baseline of 1963.
She described this action as an attempt to “move the goalposts” and questioned why the state government continues to give “discounts” to Putrajaya in the state's revenue claims.
Lisa also criticized several proclamations related to special grants for Sabah including Gazette 119/2022, Gazette 364/2023, and Gazette 271/2025 which she claims have trapped Sabah's rights in the concept of “fixed grant”.
She said that this action insults Sabah's dignity as an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia.
“Fixed Grant acts as an artificial ceiling for a state that is actually entitled to own the entire sky,” she said.
She also linked the failure to defend Sabah's revenue with the infrastructure problems faced by the people in the Sungai Sibuga area.
Among the areas mentioned include Sungai Kayu, Batu Putih, Kampung Tinusa 2, Khong Lok, and PPR Batu Putih which she stated are still struggling with water supply issues, narrow roads, and fire risks due to poor infrastructure conditions.
Lisa said the recent major fire tragedy in Kampung Bahagia, Sekong should serve as a lesson, especially for densely populated areas like Kampung Tinusa 2 which has thousands of houses with narrow roads and dilapidated bridges.
She also raised the issue of traffic congestion in Taman Airport and the entry and exit routes of Kampung Tinusa 2, as well as the damaged roads in Taman Merpati and the dilapidated bridges in Pulau Nunuyan.
In addition, she stated that inflation and a lack of local job opportunities continue to pressure the lives of the people of Sabah.
According to her, the people of Sabah are not only “trapped in poverty,” but the future of the younger generation is also affected as the state's revenue rights continue to be delayed.
In her speech, she also urged the state government to utilize the provisions of Article 112D(6) of the Federal Constitution to appoint an Independent Valuer regarding the state revenue dispute.
Lisa urged the government to reject any delays related to the 40 percent revenue claim of Sabah and demanded the immediate implementation of the formula based on the 1963 baseline.
“Rights should not be politicized. Uphold promises, reclaim Sabah's rights,” she said.
