Why did Sabah Pakatan Harapan drop its lawsuit against Putrajaya?

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Sabah Pakatan Harapan Dropped Lawsuit Amidst Progress in Unity Government Negotiations

Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced the withdrawal of its lawsuit against Putrajaya, citing the progress achieved since the formation of the unity government. This decision, however, has drawn criticism from Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who expressed disappointment that the suit was retracted before the core demands were met. The lawsuit was initiated to assert Sabah's claim for a 40 per cent return of revenue, a right stipulated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

The legal action filed by 12 Sabah PH elected representatives sought a judicial declaration that the state is entitled to 40 per cent of federal revenue annually and demanded transparency regarding the net revenue collected by the federal government from Sabah. PH's stated reason for dropping the suit was the perceived advancement in negotiations and discussions concerning state rights following their integration into the federal administration.

Mohd Shafie Apdal voiced his disagreement with the timing of the withdrawal, suggesting that the matter should have been allowed to proceed through the courts to ascertain a definitive ruling. He highlighted that Warisan had initially advised direct negotiation rather than litigation, but understood PH's insistence on pursuing legal channels at the time. The withdrawal, in his view, occurred prematurely, before concrete fulfillment of the state's claims.

While PH pointed to progress made within the unity government framework as justification for retracting the lawsuit, Mohd Shafie questioned the nature and extent of this progress. He expressed hope that PH would continue to champion Sabah's rightful entitlements, cautioning against the federal government using financial constraints as a reason to delay or deny payments owed under MA63. He also noted the existence of a separate, ongoing lawsuit filed by the Sabah Law Society concerning similar claims.

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Why did Sabah Pakatan Harapan drop its lawsuit against Putrajaya?

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