CALLING RAFIZI RAMLI

People from Sabah and Sarawak talk so much. They keep complaining about the 5% oil royalty and many other matters. The opposition, too, is complaining about the same thing. Well, stop all this complaining and do something about it.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Today, PKR’s Secretary-General, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, was not allowed to enter Sarawak. This was not the first time someone has been barred from entering Sarawak and is certainly not going to be the last. In fact, the same goes for Sabah as well.

Yet the people from Sabah and Sarawak are not happy. They are saying that the spirit of the Malaysian Agreement or the terms of the 18-Point and 20-Point Agreements are not being honoured.

I really do not know what more Sabah and Sarawak want. What else is it that they are being denied? They are better off than Selangor. At least someone not born in the state cannot become the Chief Minister of Sabah and Sarawak. In Selangor they are now talking about ending the tradition since before Merdeka that only a Selangorian can be the Menteri Besar of the state.

Okay, one thing that Sabah and Sarawak may not be happy about is regarding the oil royalty. Before 1974 (that is before the passing of the Petroleum Development Act 1974), or 11 years after Sabah and Sarawak teamed up with Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia, oil and gas (which are state resources) belonged to the state. Then, in 1974, oil and gas were nationalised and the states were given back just a 5% royalty through Act of Parliament.

So, oil and gas, which are state resources just like land, water, minerals, forests, etc., suddenly became a national treasure and were no longer state owned. And they transferred the ownership of oil and gas from the state to the federal government by Act of Parliament in 1974.

Okay, so Parliament was the one that transferred the ownership of oil and gas from the state to the federal government. So why don’t Parliament change this? There are 31 members of Parliament from Sarawak and 26 from Sabah and Labuan. That comes to a total of 57. They only need another 55 Members of Parliament from the opposition to make a total of 112, which is more than half the 222 Members of Parliament.

With 57 Members of Parliament from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan and another 55 opposition Members of Parliament, the 1974 Petroleum Development Act can be amended so that, say, 50% rather than 5% of the oil and gas goes back to the state (or 100% if you wish, like the other state resources).

Why grumble? Why complain? Why whine? Why bitch? Why moan and groan? Stop all this bellyaching and do something about it. Can’t the 57 Members of Parliament from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan unite for the common interest of their two states (never mind which political party they may belong to)? And can’t another 55 opposition Members of Parliament unite with the 57 Members of Parliament from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan to amend the 1974 Petroleum Development Act to give the states, say, at least 50% of the oil and gas, or 100% if you so wish?

People from Sabah and Sarawak talk so much. They keep complaining about the 5% oil royalty and many other matters. The opposition, too, is complaining about the same thing. Well, stop all this complaining and do something about it. Tomorrow, table a bill in Parliament to amend the 1974 Petroleum Development Act to give a better deal to the states.

Maybe Rafizi Ramli can take the lead and another 54 opposition Members of Parliament plus those 57 from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan (some of whom are already opposition MPs anyway) can support this move and then Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, plus any other state that they happen to find oil and gas, can keep the oil and gas all to themselves and would not need to share it with the rest of the country.

Is that so difficult? And do you need Raja Petra Kamarudin to teach you what to do to end all this unhappiness of the people from Sabah and Sarawak? Stop all this moaning, groaning, bitching, grumbling, complaining and whining. Just go amend the 1974 Petroleum Development Act and keep your oil and gas all to yourself. No need to share it with anyone since it is all yours anyway.

Calling Rafizi Ramli!

And if you refuse to do that then shut the fxxk up and forever hold your peace. You people keep moaning and groaning and when we ask you to do something about it you refuse to do so. I wonder whether you are sincere or you are just seeking an excuse to complain non-stop.