Sabah leaders unwilling to fight for oil rights are traitors, says Jeffrey

Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan believes the federal government is just trying to avoid having to honour its election manifesto.

STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan sends reminder that the combined strength of 26 MPs from East Malaysia can deny the Pakatan Harapan from forming the federal government.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah opposition leader Jeffrey Kitingan told the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government to just pay the 20% oil royalties based on gross production as promised in its election manifesto and not resort to flimsy and unwarranted excuses to delay its implementation.

In a statement today, the Keningau MP pointed out that several PH leaders, including those in Sabah, were quick to praise PH for “honouring” its manifesto when Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had earlier agreed to pay the 20% royalties.

“The euphoria of these leaders evaporated quickly when Mahathir said the royalties will be based on profit.

“They remained silent and muted when Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali said the 20% royalties were not payable as this will have a great impact on Petronas and the national economy.

“Azmin further added that the 20% profit-sharing would need an amendment to the Petroleum Development Act 1974, which would further delay its implementation.

“Contrary to his explanation, Section 4 of the Act clearly states that the cash payment payable is to be agreed upon between the federal government and the state government concerned.

“There is absolutely no necessity to amend PDA74 to allow for the 20% profit share to be paid.”

Jeffrey, who is also the president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), said to ordinary Sabahans and Sarawakians, the explanations put forward so as not to pay the 20% royalties, based on gross production, were mere excuses not to honour the PH manifesto and were intended to keep Sabah and Sarawak poor while the oil revenue remained with Petronas under federal control.

Even if Petronas were to pay Sabah and Sarawak 20%, based on profits, he said there can be no justification whatsoever for it to keep 80% of the profits, considering that the oil and gas were extracted from Sabah and Sarawak.

“For the Sabah government, in addition to insisting on payment of the 20% royalties based on gross production, they should re-impose regulatory control over Sabah’s oil and gas resources, similar to the stand taken by the Sarawak government.

“Any Sabah leader who does not seek the return of the ownership of Sabah’s oil and gas resources, or does not insist on full payment of the 20% royalties based on gross production pending the return of the oil ownership and does not impose regulatory control over the exploration, extraction and exploitation of the oil and gas in Sabah, can be said to have failed to look after the best interests of Sabah and Sabahans.

“Some would even call them as traitors to Sabah and Sabahans.”

He reminded leaders to think about their future generations and ownership rights of Sabah’s oil and gas resources when pursuing the 20% oil royalties, pending return of the oil ownership.

This is more so, he said, as the 12 PKR and DAP MPs from Sarawak and the eight Warisan, three DAP and three PKR MPs from Sabah are kingmakers to determine the federal government. Their combined 26 seats can deny the Pakatan Harapan in Malaya from forming the federal government, he said.

If the 26 MPs were to withhold their support, he said the present PH federal government, with 124 MPs, would collapse and may be forced to fulfil Sabah and Sarawak’s rights in order to continue to be the federal government.

“If they do nothing to secure the return of the ownership of Sabah and Sarawak’s ownership of their oil and gas resources, then PKR and DAP, with Warisan, are no different from the previous BN governments, in that they are subservient to their political masters in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. -FMT