The recent noises made by the leaders in Barisan Nasional (BN) Sabah over the call to increase the 5% oil royalty paid to Sabah are responses that showed that BN is desperate to maintain its fixed deposit status in Sabah!
Melanie Chia Chui Ket, the Luyang State Assemblywoman, made this comment in the light of the recent blandishments over the utterances by the BN leaders over the subject of oil royalty paid to Sabah.
The Sabah State Government under the leadership of Musa Aman had repeatedly over the last few years said that it was not necessary to review the 5% cash payment made to Sabah for giving away our ownership of our oil and gas resources to Petronas because the Federal Government is already giving Sabah billions of ringgit of allocations because of the good relationship with Federal. This was always the answer given by the Chief Minister in the State Assembly when the subject was raised by Melanie.
A motion asking the UMNO-led BN state government to demand increased payment of the petroleum royalty to Sabah submitted by Melanie in August 2011 was rejected by the State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Panglima Salleh Said Keruak. The rejection of the motion then was construed as cowardice and the BN Government in failing to protect the rights and interests of Sabah, now the poorest state in the country despite its abundance in natural resources.
The lame reasons given by the Speaker for rejecting the tabling of a motion in the interests of the State of Sabah and its people were that Petronas is currently investing billions of ringgit in development projects in Sabah and that the oil agreement is under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government.
Big U-turn, how insincere
The recent utterance by the Sabah Chief Minister that the State Government would open "amicable discussions" with the Federal Governemnt to increase petroleum royalty payment from the current 5%, Melanie, also SAPP Wanita Chief, contended that this is again "sandiwara" in action by the BN Government especially when the 13th general election is just round the corner. She said the BN government has to stop insulting the people's intelligence with its flip-flopping policies.
Melanie further contended that since the Sabah State Government would now open "amicable discussions" with the Federal Government, the Chief Minister should also take up the issue of the oil fields Block L and Block M which Malaysia had signed away to Brunei. The State Government owes an explanation to the people of Sabah on the loss of these two productive oil fields and the lost of vast income from the oi and gas extraction from these two blocks of oil fields which the Federal Government signed away to the Brunei Government.
On the call by Party Bersatu Sabah (PBS) wanting to make the resolution at its coming party congress to request the federal government to increase the yearly oil royalty payment to 20%, Melanie said this is only a gimmick by the party to redeem its president, the Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, for being also the signatory, together with the then Chief Minister of Sabah Harris Salleh, on the oil agreement between the Sabah State Government and Petronas giving away the ownership, rights, powers, liberties and privileges of Sabah's oil and gas resources for a return of a mere 5% cash payment in 1976.
Melanie Chia Chui Ket is SAPP Women Chief and State Assemblywoman for N16 Luyang
Semoga isu royalti untuk sabah ini dapat disuarakan. Seperti kelantan yang mana dapat kenaikkan royalti. Harap Sabah pun akan dapat juga.
ReplyDeleteKelantan, now is selecting its candidates for the panel. So when Sabah's turn?
DeleteI do hope the oil royalty issue can be solved sooner or later.
Deletemoga Sabah akan dpt royalti minyak yang sepatutnya.
DeleteSabah deserves to get the best.
DeleteHappy Independent Day to all.
DeleteUsaha kerajaan untuk memperjuangkan hak milik orang Sabahan amat diperlukan.
DeleteSabah and Sarawak should have their own panel to look into the oil royalty review for both states..
ReplyDeleteIni yang dikatakan oleh United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok. Jadi ini bermakna sememangnya royalti ini disokong.
He agreed that the review of the oil royalty is possible, but for now 10% is sufficient.
Deleteramai ingin royalti minyak Sabah dinaikkan.
DeleteFor the time being, we should ask more.
DeleteWe don't need to set the rate, let wait how much the rate they can offer.
DeleteGas simpanan Sabah adalah dianggarkan sebanyak 12.7 trilion kaki padu atau kira-kira 14% daripada gas simpanan asli negara. Sememangnya Sabah penyumbang hasil minyak untuk Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteMinyak di pesisiran Sabah adalah penyumbang kepada hasil gas dan gas negara dengan sumbangan RM68.3 bilion (13.1% daripada GDP) dan dijangka bertambah kepada RM81.9 bilion pada 2015.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Musa berkongsi pendapat dengan ramai penduduk di Sabah bahawa negeri ini sepatutnya mendapat bahagian yang lebih besar dalam sektor minyak dan gas. Jadi pastikan Sabah dapat apa yang sepatutnya.
ReplyDeleteKekayaan hasil di Sabah ini sememangnya patut dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya. Jangan biarkan masalah ini berterusan.
ReplyDeleteThere is no problem at all, somehow the opposition is making it big and sassy.
DeleteMusa telah cuba lakukan apa yang dirasakan terbaik supaya royalti dapat dinaikkan, justeru kita doakanlah yang terbaik.
ReplyDeleteMusa has done a lot for Sabah.
DeleteHe is indeed making Sabah as one of the great place to hang out, to have business, investment and etc.
DeleteMusa indeed a good leader and lately he received an excellence award. This proves that he is a capable leader.
DeleteJika perbincangan itu berjaya, harap keadaan ekonomi rakyat Sabah akan lebih baik.
ReplyDeleteisu penyemakan semula royalti minyak sebanyak lima peratus yang dibayar kepada Sabah boleh dibincang secara baik antara kerajaan negeri dan kerajaan Persekutuan.
DeletePerbincangan ini harus mencapai keputusan yang positif. Jika tidak, beginilah rupa Sabah di masa akan datang.
DeleteHe is not suddenly making the decision, it was long overdue though.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition is making so much headlines about this. Boring.
DeleteState leaders from both sides of the political divide strike a common ground in calling for the federal government to review the five per cent petroleum royalty paid to Sarawak in the past four decades. Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing said the proposed special committee to be set up by the federal government to look into the petroleum royalties to the East Coast states should include Sarawak and Sabah.
ReplyDeleteLet's start with the first figure first .
Delete“Since Sarawak and Sabah are the main contributors to the national petroleum production, both states’ royalties of five per cent should therefore be reviewed and revised,” Masing told the Borneo Post. However, Masing stressed that the quantum for Sarawak should be based on the recommendation of the special committee which must include people from the state.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced the Government’s decision to set up a special committee to study the petroleum royalties to the East Coast states. Najib had said that the committee was given six months to study the matter before making recommendations to the federal government.
ReplyDeleteBaguslah kerajaan persekutuan mengambil langkah ke depan untuk loyalties.
DeleteJika ini benar, ini merupakan berita baik sekurang-kurangnya kerajaan persekutuan mendengar suara rakyat.
DeleteMinister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had also said that the setting up of such a committee would put to rest all questions surrounding the royalty payment. Nazri said the formation of the panel could also be due to Najib’s own father, the second prime minister who had earlier promised royalties to oil producing states.
ReplyDelete“Even our chief minister in his winding up speech during the last DUN Sitting acknowledged that the state is actually at least 20 years behind Peninsular Malaysia in terms of infrastructure development,” he said. Wong pointed out that the state’s five per cent oil royalty “was forced upon us in the 70’s without true negotiation”.“Even the BN component parties from both Sarawak and Sabah have requested that oil royalty be reviewed on many occasions.”
ReplyDeleteWong also stressed that with more money from oil royalty, Sarawak which he claimed was currently the fourth poorest state in the country and Sabah as the poorest would have more money to spend on development.“It is the duty of the federal government to look into interests of Sarawak and Sabah to bring them at par with at least some of the states in West Malaysia,” said Wong, who is also Bandar Sibu and Bukit Assek assemblyman.PBB and state BN deputy women chief Datuk Fatimah Abdullah opined that since the agreement on the five per cent was made more than four decades ago, it was time for it to be reviewed now.
ReplyDelete“Petroleum production has increased due to technology advancement
“The history is long with this matter. It went back to the time when Tun Abdul Razak Hussein told the Dewan Rakyat about giving oil royalties back in the 1970’s. So based on the speech, maybe Najib felt that something needed to be done and that’s why a committee was formed,” said Nazri in Kuala Lumpur. Concurring that a review was timely, DAP state chairman ong Ho Leng said the Pakatan Rakyat had actually demanded that both Sarawak and Sabah be given 20 per cent as both states are considered “still far lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development”.
ReplyDeletewhich means revenue would also increase. So it is only logical that the quantum should be reviewed,” she said. Fatimah who is also the Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development said Sarawak was still in dire need for better school facilities especially in the rural areas where most of them were built by the local councils in the 1960’s. Assistant Minister of Public Health and Bengoh assemblyman Dr Jerip Susil believed that the state leaders were aware of the right quantum to be given by Petronas.
ReplyDelete“But we must be aware that oil and gas exploration and prospecting could be very costly. So the present five per cent is better than nothing. The bottom line is of course if there is a review on the issue, Sarawak should be included as well, as we are one of the major contributors of petroleum in the country,” said Dr Jerip. State BN and PBB and youth chief Datuk Fadillah Yusuf said that even though Sarawak cannot demand on the quantum for the oil royalty, he believed that Najib was willing to listen to the people’s needs for more funding for its infrastructure development.
ReplyDeletewhich means revenue would also increase. So it is only logical that the quantum should be reviewed,” she said. Fatimah who is also the Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development said Sarawak was still in dire need for better school facilities especially in the rural areas where most of them were built by the local councils in the 1960’s. Assistant Minister of Public Health and Bengoh assemblyman Dr Jerip Susil believed that the state leaders were aware of the right quantum to be given by Petronas.
ReplyDelete“There is an urgent need for more funding for the improvement of both infrastructure development and closing the digital gap in Sarawak so that we can move in tandem with the rest of the country towards a high income economy. “Without good infrastructure development such as roads, electricity and water supplies especially in the rural areas, the people in Sarawak would not be able to catch up with the rest of the country,” said Fadillah, who is also the deputy minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.
ReplyDeleteKerajaan negeri harus bersuara demi rakyat, loyalti diperlukan untuk pembangunan yang berterusan.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Najib amat prihatin terhadap rakyat. Apabila beliau menerajui kerajaan Malaysia banyak projek dan program yang beliau perkenalkan yang semuanya menjurus kepada kesejahteraan rakyat
DeletePendapatan negeri bertambah, ini akan mendorong lebih banyak pembangunan di Sabah. Jadi, loyalti harus ditambah lagi.
ReplyDeleteIsu ini seharus dikaji. Kadar 5% tidak harus dikekal untuk berpuluh-puluh tahun sedangkan harga barangan pun sudah berkali ganda naik.
ReplyDeleteHarapkan perbincangan ini cuma untuk menambat dan memancing undi.
ReplyDeleteThe rejection of the motion then was construed as cowardice and the BN Government in failing to protect the rights and interests of Sabah, now the poorest state in the country despite its abundance in natural resources.
ReplyDeleteKerajaan tidak harus mengabaikan kepentingan dan hak milik orang Sabahan. Ini juga menyebabkan ekonomi Sabah lembab dan kemiskinan menjadi teruk.
Kepimpinan Perdana Menteri Datuk Najib sebagai seorang pemimpin yang amat prihatin dan berjiwa rakyat tidak boleh dipertikaikan.
ReplyDeletebukan U-turn.. Musa hanya mempertikaikan janji 20% pembangkang bukannya usaha menaikkan royalti minyak.. sejauhmana pembangkang boleh menunaikan janji mereka sedangkan mereka tidak pernah menjelaskan secara terperinci tentang bagaimana mereka boleh memperolehi 20% itu dengan mengambil kira kos2 yang ditanggung oleh petronas..
ReplyDeleteBanyak lagi perlu diusahakan lagi dengan isu loyalti ini. Semoga kadar ini dapat dikaji semula dan mengambil langkah ke depan untuk menambahkan.
Deleteyang penting sekarang ini kerajaan telah memberikan lampu hijau supaya royalti minyak dikaji semula.. ini adalah perkembangan yang baik dan berita baik untuk rakyat, tetapi berita buruk untuk pemimpin2 pembangkang..
ReplyDeleteSabah deserve the better offer.
ReplyDeletePetronas sudah banyak beruntung, tibalah masa untuk menguntungkan rakyat di Sabah.
ReplyDeleteOil are the major income to Sabah, such loyalty has need to identify and make necessary adjustment.
ReplyDeleteUntuk pembangunan yang berterusan, loyalti harus diperbaiki lagi.
ReplyDelete