00:00The drive from Kota Kinabalu to Lahat Datu may appear picturesque, but in reality it is anything but easy.
00:08Sabahans know this only too well, as FMT's Malayan Newsdesk editor, Amin Ishak, explains in his latest opinion piece.
00:32That is especially so near Kinabatangan, he says, with one friend even advising him to stop there and let his
00:39car relax before returning to what he calls the moon road.
00:44The trouble is, it is not just about road conditions. Basic necessities like water supply remain a problem, especially in
00:52the state's interior.
00:53Amin tells how water pressure was so low in his mother's village in Sook two years ago that the family
00:59was forced to draw water from a well.
01:02That reminded him of his younger days when there was no supply of piped water.
01:07Amin says he would regularly help his grandfather haul barrels and containers of water from a nearby river to meet
01:14the family's daily needs.
01:16Many things have changed in Sabah, but more still needs to be done.
01:20Infrastructure and basic facilities remain key priorities for the people.
01:25This is why Amin sees Sabah's 40% grant claim as key.
01:30Many see it as a way to speed up the state's development, he says.
01:35And the state government, led by Chief Minister Hadidji Noor, has been pushing the federal government for a permanent solution
01:41to the issue, with negotiations ongoing.
01:45On that front, the news has been positive.
01:48According to Sabah and Sarawak Affairs Minister Mustafa Sakmut, both the state and federal governments now have a clearer understanding
01:55of the basis of Sabah's claim and the computations involved.
02:00The state government has also asked for immediate payment of certain undisputed components of the grant, even as negotiations continue
02:07on other aspects.
02:09Sabah Finance Minister Masidi Manjun recently said there is no dispute over the sums collected by the Customs Department and
02:16the Inland Revenue Board.
02:18In 2025, that component stood at almost RM4.7 billion.
02:23This, Amin argues, shows that the state government is already standing in solidarity with the people of Sabah on the
02:3040% grant claim.
02:31So, why did Kapayan Assemblyman Chin Tegming feel the need to move a private motion in the state assembly, calling
02:39for all elected representatives to show solidarity on the issue?
02:43According to Hadidji, Chin was simply playing politics.
02:47He said Warisan was looking to politicize the matter to show it is fighting for Sabah's rights.
02:52Gabogan Rakyat Sabah Deputy Secretary-General Armizan Muhammad Ali went further, saying Warisan was looking to cover up weaknesses that
03:01emerged in 2019 when it governed the state.
03:04He said the Warisan government had at the time claimed it would not be proper for the state to pursue
03:10legal action over issues involving the Malaysia Agreement in 1963.
03:14Yet today, Warisan appears to support the court action.
03:19Armizan also pointed out that the Warisan state government had in 2019 agreed to accept a special grant payout of
03:26just over RM53 million.
03:28But Amin says this should not be about politics.
03:32Because this, this warisan is not necessary to become the place of who is the strongest or who is the
03:37strongest.
03:38The most important thing is that it is true to the people in the most rational way, without confrontation.
03:46For the full picture, read Amin Ishak's Behind the Bylines piece, Sabah needs solutions, not a race to be most
03:52Sabahan, only on FMT.
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