Influential Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has urged the BN government to resolve the demand of the Kelantan state government for oil royalty before the next general election to garner the people's support.
According to a Sinar Harian report which cited Astro Awani, the Gua Musang MP revealed that a few Kelantan Umno leaders had sought his views on how to strengthen the party in the state which has been governed by PAS since 1990.
He suggested to them that the issue of Kelantan oil royalty is one that Umno should resolve in order to recapture the state."This has been stipulated by the Petroleum Development Act which was enacted in 1974 by Abdul Razak Hussein (left) who was the then prime minister and Umno president," he said.
However Razaleigh, who is also the founding chairperson of Petronas, dismissed criticism that he is siding with the opposition on this issue.
"I say it not because I support the opposition, no. It is just to clarify what is stipulated in the Petroleum Development Act.
"If it could be accepted by Umno at that time when Razak was the (Umno) president, and I was the vice-president, why Umno does not accept it now. It is not reasonable," he added.
The Kelantan state government filed a legal suit against the federal government in Aug 2010. The trial is still ongoing.
In another development, Sin Chew Daily reported that MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the 13th general election will not be held this September. However he did not elaborate.
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