Malaysian minister Ewon Benedick resigns from Cabinet over Sabah’s 40% ruling

The Cobbold Commission was set up to determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak backed the proposal to create the federation of Malaysia, which also initially included Singapore. The commission had emphasised that Sabah and Sarawak should be equal partners to Malaya.

The Inter-governmental Committee Report was made in line with recommendations by the Cobbold Commission when formulating the framework of the federal constitution to include the interests and safeguards of the Borneo states.  

The Malaysia Agreement of 1963 was signed by Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, with the intention of forming the federation of Malaysia. 

The Malaysia Act 1963 created the state called Malaysia, which is made up of eleven states of the former Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and initially, Singapore. 

There was a need to respect what was stipulated in these documents, said Ewon, which included the recognition and implementation of Sabah’s entitlement to 40 per cent of federal revenue collected from the state.

Previously, Ewon was part of a group of Pakatan Harapan (PH) elected representatives who filed an originating summons against the federal and Sabah governments in June 2022 over the 40 per cent issue, according to the Malay Mail.

The summons was later withdrawn in September 2023 after PH formed the government. 

“As the President of UPKO, I would like to see Sabah’s rights exercised. That’s the principle and the reason I joined politics,” he wrote on Facebook. 

Ewon wrote that the AGC should not file an appeal, but instead begin consultations with the Sabah government to implement the 40 per cent entitlement. 

The former minister added he would formally inform Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of his resignation from the Cabinet and call for a special meeting on Monday to discuss the “Sabah First” agenda, which would guide UPKO’s direction. 

Ewon thanked Anwar for the opportunity to serve in the Cabinet, which he said had been a platform for him to fight for Sabah’s rights. 

News outlet Free Malaysia Today reported that Ewon had sparked speculation about his Cabinet position after attending a farewell event organised by his ministry’s staff in Putrajaya on Saturday. 

During a meeting with the ministry’s staff and agencies last week, Ewon reportedly said: “This may be my last speech as entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister.”

Ewon had previously said that he was prepared to relinquish his post if the federal government appeals the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s decision.

In 2021, UPKO formally joined PH, a move that the party’s secretary-general Nelson Angang described as “timely” for the party to actively strengthen the opposition bloc in its struggle to achieve a progressive Malaysia, Malaysian newspaper the New Straits Times reported.

Ewon was appointed entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister on Dec 3, 2022, following Anwar’s cabinet reshuffle. He was later appointed Sabah’s PH chairman on Dec 1, 2024.