Don't dodge my question, Rafizi tells Rahman Dahlan

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli has urged Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan not to dodge his question on the Saudi Aramco deal.

“He should not avoid the question. Give a straight forward answer whether or not there was a change in commercial terms before and after he and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak intervened?” he told Malaysiakini.

The Pandan lawmaker was responding to Abdul Rahman's statement this morning, where when quizzed on Rafizi's remarks, urged the latter to be grateful for Saudi Aramco's investment instead of politicising it.

The minister also highlighted how the investment for Petronas' Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) complex in Pengerang, Johor, created employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, Rafizi told Malaysiakini that for a project of this scale, a change of even one percent in commercial terms can mean billions over a life of the project.

The PKR leader said Abdul Rahman must disclose the salient commercial terms that involve public's money before and after his intervention, with regard to:

1. How much Petronas has to pay now for the feedstock (crude and naphtha) from Saudi Aramco?
2. What is the price of utilities being sold to the joint venture company by a utilities company that is wholly owned by Petronas (because one of the ways to give higher return to Saudi Aramco is for Petronas' wholly owned utilities company that supply electricity, natural gas, steams etc at cheaper price thus more losses on Petronas and more profit for the JV, which Saudi Aramco brings home)?
3. What tax break and tax incentive package is the Malaysian government giving to the joint venture? There were instances that foreign investors were given huge tax breaks by the federal government that eventually they made profits without ever paying tax to the nation.

“These are important questions that he should have no problem to give a straight answer.

“If he continues to remain evasive and waffling his words by deflecting my questions and went on personal attacks on me, the public can only conclude that there is a basis to my question,” he said.

Rafizi noted that until today, there is no denial or response from anyone disputing his question; or denying that there was a change in commercial terms before and after Abdul Rahman's intervention that could have been detrimental to national interest.- Mkini