Armizan Ali urges caution over coalition promises, pointing to village committee funding as proof of concern.
PETALING JAYA: Sabahans have been urged to treat renewed pledges to restore the state’s rights with caution, amid growing concerns that recent federal manoeuvres may once again place party interests above the welfare of the state.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali issued the reminder following remarks by senior Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno figures, who claimed the coalition has, since 2016, remained committed to “return whatever was once taken from Sabah” after the Kota Kinabalu High Court upheld the state’s entitlement to the 40% special grant.
“Although this statement is effectively an admission of wrongdoing — acknowledging that Sabah’s rights were previously taken — it can still be read positively as a sign of willingness to change.
“However, caution is needed when accepting BN and Umno’s promises, as their actions often appear to prioritise party interests over state interests,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Armizan, who also serves as Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, cited the federal handling of village administration allowances — funds long channelled to the Sabah government to support the salaries of village committees such as the Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JKKK) and the Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JPKK).
He said that after UMNO and BN were no longer part of the GRS-led state administration, the Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW) stopped directing these allocations to the state from 2024, opting instead to set up its own federally controlled committees under the Jawatankuasa Komuniti Desa Madani (JKDM).
Under this arrangement, he said:
- Village administration lists must now be approved in Putrajaya rather than by the state;
- Each village now has two committees — the state’s JKKK and the federal JKDM — a move that risks splitting local communities;
- From 2024, the Sabah government has to allocate an extra RM20 million annually to cover JKKK allowances, money that could otherwise fund improvements for roughly 40km of village roads.
He added that the decision appeared to have been driven by Umno/BN Sabah to enable the appointment and payment of party machinery through JKDM.
Sarawak, he noted, has no JKDM presence because the coalition is not active there.
“This approach clearly undermines the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). Will more of these practices be repeated in Sabah? Sabahans should reflect carefully,” he warned.
