UMNO respects the High Court’s decision to order the federal government to implement Sabah’s 40 per cent revenue entitlement claim, says party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Officially, we respect the court’s decision,” said Zahid, adding that the party is “on the side of the people of Sabah,” he told reporters this after attending the Mooda @ Desa x PNG: Penanak Culture Sabah Carnival in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.

From the government’s perspective, Zahid said they will study the court’s decision.

“We will leave it to the Prime Minister to bring this matter to the Cabinet meeting for discussion,” he said.

Asked for a guarantee on realising the revenue entitlement claim should Barisan Nasional lead the state after the coming state election, Zahid said they would look into Sabah’s needs, including matters to be included in the manifesto.

Meanwhile, Sabah Umno has urged the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) not to appeal the High Court ruling ordering the Federal Government to implement Sabah’s 40% revenue entitlement, warning that any challenge would strain state–federal ties.

Its chief, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, said an appeal would only “deepen old wounds” and undermine the spirit of cooperation between both governments.

“If the AG proceeds with an appeal, UMNO Sabah will not remain silent,” Bung said in a statement, adding that the party’s MPs would table a motion of objection to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He also called for an independent assessor to determine the amount Sabah should have received since 1974, stressing that payments must be “fair, transparent, and aligned with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963”.

On Thursday (Oct 16), the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled that the federal government had acted unlawfully by failing to honour Sabah’s 40% share of federal revenue for nearly five decades.