Monday, 3November 2025
Autonomy alone is not a magic wand — but it gives Sabah the tools to plan, invest, and grow responsibly, guided by leaders who understand our realities and priorities.
For decades, Sabah has been caught in an invisible economic trap — one that keeps our people dependent, our industries underdeveloped, and our wealth flowing outward.
Our overreliance on imports is not simply a matter of convenience; it is the consequence of a federal structure and policy system built around Malaya’s priorities, not Sabah’s needs.
💰 The Illusion of Growth
At first glance, Sabah’s economy appears to be growing. Our ports are busy, our shopping platforms thrive, and our consumers are spending.
But beneath that activity lies a painful truth: most of the money circulating in Sabah does not stay in Sabah.
Every imported good we buy — from food, building materials, to basic household items — sends money out of the state.
Platforms like TikTok Shop or Shopee make this easier, but also more dangerous, as even digital spending now channels directly to sellers and warehouses in West Malaysia.
The result?
Sabah becomes a consumer economy, not a productive one.
We trade our cash for goods, but we don’t create jobs, industries, or reinvestment here. It’s a quiet but continuous leakage of wealth — a slow drain of local prosperity into someone else’s pocket.
🏗️ The Systemic Barrier: Malaya-Centric Policy
Sabah’s economic weakness is not by accident; it’s the outcome of a policy framework designed around Peninsular Malaysia’s centralised control.
Every ringgit that flows through trade, taxation, or industry passes through federal channels. Customs regulations, import licences, and trade infrastructure are all heavily centralised.
Even when we want to import directly from China or other countries, small and medium Sabah companies face steep costs, limited shipping routes, and red tape — because the system is designed for Port Klang, not for Sepanggar.
The federal government’s control over revenue further compounds the problem. Sabah’s 40% net revenue entitlement, promised under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), has been denied for decades.
That 40% is not just a number — it’s the key to our economic independence.
With it, we could reinvest in ports, agriculture, processing industries, and trade hubs that keep our wealth here — not in Kuala Lumpur’s banks.
Without it, Sabah remains a branch economy — functioning only as a source of raw materials and consumers for Malaya’s finished goods.
🔄 The Vicious Cycle of Dependency
Our dependence on imports has created a self-perpetuating cycle:
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We import because we lack local industries.
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We can’t build industries because wealth keeps flowing out.
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We remain dependent because the system ensures we cannot accumulate enough capital to break free.
Each federal policy that centralises revenue, investment approval, or trade control deepens that cycle.
Meanwhile, the average Sabahan continues to pay higher prices for basic goods, faces limited job opportunities, and watches our youth leave for better futures elsewhere.
🌾 The Way Forward: Wealth Creation through a Sabah-Centric Model
True development for Sabah begins with wealth creation, not wealth extraction. That means empowering Sabah to produce, trade, and reinvest on its own terms.
Here’s how:
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Direct Import and Trade Autonomy: Develop Sabah-based trade hubs and logistics links with East Asia. Allow Sabah companies to import directly, bypassing West Malaysian intermediaries.
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Local Industry Development: Invest in value-added sectors — food processing, furniture, packaging, green energy, and technology — so we produce what we consume.
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Revenue Control: Enforce MA63 and the 40% net revenue entitlement. Let Sabah control its earnings to fund its own development priorities.
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Local Procurement Policies: Encourage government and private sectors to buy Sabah-made goods and services first.
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Regional Collaboration: Work with Sarawak, Kalimantan, and Brunei to strengthen the Borneo economic zone — a natural trade network that benefits all sides.
Autonomy alone is not a magic wand — but it gives Sabah the tools to plan, invest, and grow responsibly, guided by leaders who understand our realities and priorities.
🧭 Economic Freedom Is Political Freedom
The heart of the issue is not just about money — it’s about control. As long as Sabah’s economy is dictated by external forces, our political freedom remains incomplete.
Economic autonomy gives us the power to decide how to develop, who benefits, and where our future lies.
Dr. Jeffrey G. Kitingan has long argued this truth:
“Without control over our revenue, Sabah can never truly stand on its own feet.”
This is not separatism — it’s self-determination within the framework of Malaysia, as was originally promised under MA63.
It’s about fairness, empowerment, and the right to shape our destiny.
✊ Conclusion
Sabah’s economic chains are not made of iron — they are made of policy. And policies can be changed.
The path to a prosperous Sabah is not through endless federal dependence, but through Sabah-centric policies that prioritise our people, our industries, and our control over our own resources.
The day Sabah controls its own revenue is the day our economy starts to breathe again.
Because when money stays here, wealth grows here.
And when Sabah grows, Malaysia grows stronger too.
🌅 The Future We Must Build
For that, we must have a Sabah administration fully controlled by Sabahans, for Sabah. A government that places our economic destiny above political convenience.
Because when Sabah prospers, Malaysia at large will prosper.
We are already one of the biggest contributors of wealth to Malaysia —
imagine what we could become when we are finally economically strong and self-reliant.
#JusticeForSabah #SabahForSabahan
