PENAMPANG: The Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) technical committee will on May 28 discuss Sabah's right to 40 per cent of revenue derived from the state.
"I am confident that the 40 per cent revenue demand will be discussed in the meeting on May 28," said Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick.
He said he is among federal ministers who want a decision on the mechanism for the "40 per cent revenue" to be made by July.
"It will not be straightforward, as it involves accounting for the revenue collected by the federal government from Sabah," he said after the launch of the Penampang Kaamatan festival at the sports complex here.
Ewon, who is also the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation president, said the party is targeting "low-hanging fruit" using data from the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).
He added that Sabah has a representative in the IRB, which means it can obtain the data.
"We need to understand that it is not as easy as demanding and then getting it. Some said the amount (the 40 per cent revenue) runs into billions of ringgit. How do you come up with the estimate if you don't have the data?
"As far as I know, the Inland Revenue Board already has the data. So we will demand that first. I will support this demand when it is discussed in the meeting and later in the cabinet."
The Penampang member of parliament and Kadamaian state assemblyman also supported efforts to demand for Sabah's rights using the law or through discussions.
"I support the movement by the people of Sabah.
"People say that to get to Rome, there is not only one way. We need to complement each other, and we need to support each other in this matter."