Kuala lumpur: Pakatan Harapan (PH) is poised to unveil its manifesto for the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election this Thursday, with a primary focus on establishing a special fund for Sabahans.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, the chairman of the State PKR Leadership Council, emphasized that the manifesto aims to tackle fundamental issues faced by the state. It will avoid unrealistic or extravagant promises, instead prioritizing continuity in fulfilling commitments made by the MADANI Government, several of which have already been accomplished.

Mustapha stressed the importance of ensuring federal allocations genuinely benefit the people of Sabah and address core issues at the state level. One of the main proposals in the PH manifesto is the creation of a special fund to manage Sabah’s 40 percent revenue entitlement. This initiative seeks to ensure transparency in how the funds are utilized, allowing the public to understand the allocation of resources, with a focus on resolving basic issues.

The move for a special fund comes in light of a recent ruling by the Kota Kinabalu High Court, which found that the federal government had unlawfully exceeded its constitutional powers by not fulfilling Sabah’s right to 40 percent of federal revenue from 1974 to 2021. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has indicated that the government is now concentrating on technical discussions to ascertain Sabah’s actual revenue entitlement.

The Segama state seat, which was first contested in the 2020 elections and currently has 29,840 registered voters, will see candidates from multiple parties vying for election. Contestants include Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi (Independent), Muhammad Abdul Karim (Warisan), Alif Afiandy Ali (Independent), Ehtisham Ur Rahman Mhaulaha (PIS), Norman Kasimin (Independent), Romansa Lamin (PH-PKR), and Yvonne Yong Yit Phung (SAPP). In the 2020 election, Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, then representing Warisan Plus-Warisan, won with a majority of 2,168 votes.