Jeffrey Kitingan: Sabah should have more ministries for efficient administration

 By Olivia Miwil

April 28, 2026 @ 4:06pm

Former Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has suggested adding two more ministries to the state government.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should establish two additional ministries, for economy and homeland security.

Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (Star-Tambunan) said the 10 ministries established in 1963 are no longer aligned with current needs, with the emergence of high technology, green economies and environmental sustainability.

"Sabah should establish an economy ministry, alongside taking control of the exploitation of its natural resources and minerals, including rare earth elements.

"Sabah must fully harness the benefits of its natural resources for the welfare of its people and the future development of the state," he said when debating the policy speech at the Sabah Legislative Assembly.

The former Sabah chief minister also said the homeland security ministry would safeguard Sabah's interests in immigration, civil registration, human resources including foreign workers, and internal security, including border protection, in complement to federal security agencies.

He added that Sabah has the right to manage its own civil registration and to issue a Sabah identity card.

Meanwhile, for Sabah's 40 per cent entitlement, the state needs to introduce a mechanism to track, monitor, and distribute all revenue payments to ensure that revenues derived by the Federation from Sabah are accounted for, as required under Article 112C and Part IV of the Tenth Schedule.

The mandatory review under Article 112D only applies every five years, and any agreed amount is valid only for that review period.

"However, the 40 per cent revenue is Sabah's permanent right as long as Malaysia exists. Therefore, regardless of whether a review is conducted, the 40 per cent must be calculated annually.

"As such, the mechanism and system that Sabah establishes must be sustainable over time and capable of effectively tracking and monitoring all revenue flows to determine whether they are derived from Sabah, and consequently ensure that 40 per cent is returned to the state," said Kitingan.

Such a smart mechanism and system can be developed through digitalisation and artificial intelligence, he said.

"I propose that the Sabah government take steps to establish a MA63 Revenue Tracking System (MARTS).

"The function of MARTS is to track and monitor every transaction and classify whether the revenue is derived from Sabah."