PAKATAN Harapan has been fair to the PAS government in Terengganu even paying the state its petroleum royalty, said Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
The Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led federal government is not “squeezing” PAS in Terengganu for being an opposition state, Samsuri said.
On the long-standing oil royalty issue, PH acted swiftly, doing better than the previous Barisan Nasional administration which promised for so long but never paid.
The state has already received the first tranche of the royalty payment for 2018 and 2019 amounting to RM450 million.
The remaining sum will be paid over another two tranches to reach the full amount of an estimated RM1.5 billion to RM1.6 billion.
“The royalty payment is paid twice a year in March and September,” Samsuri told The Malaysian Insight.
“The money is used to pay the salary and to fund development projects approved by the previous BN government,” said the Ru Rendang state assemblyman.
Among the projects funded by the petroleum royalty are the Bandar Baru Kuala Nerus project, Bandar Baru Kijal and a water-treatment plant.
“We have projects initiated by the previous government that need to be paid this year. Hundreds of millions and the petroleum royalty will be used to pay for these projects.”
Samsuri also said Terengganu PAS managed to fulfil almost all 20 of its election manifestos, such as providing free water, free motorcycle licences, free marriage carnivals for newlyweds and the abolition of quit rent and assessment taxes.
“From 20, 12 have been met and we still have a long period of time to fulfil the other promises.
“This is our first year and there is more to come,” he said when asked to comment on the first anniversary of PAS taking over the state from BN in the last general election.
The current PH administration in Putrajaya is also more receptive of dissent and ideas compared with BN, he added.
“We can (now) have different opinions on many issues, if we are not satisfied, we say so,” he said.
“If it was the same government (BN), surely there will be hindrance in that sense,” Samsuri said, alluding to BN’s lack of tolerance towards dissent and the opposition.
He said the PAS-run Kelantan government over the years has had several run-ins with the BN-controlled federal government from the time it took office in 1990.
But since PH took office, it has moved to engage the opposition-controlled states and Samsuri can vouch for this.
“But now for us, it’s not a problem.”
Terengganu fell to Islamist party PAS after the 14th general election last May, making it one of only five states not ruled by PH which created the biggest political upset in the nation’s history when it took over Putrajaya from BN.
PAS 22 out of the state’s 32 seats, while BN managed to win 10.
PAS also retained Kelantan, while BN held on to Pahang and Perlis in the peninsula. PH also failed to win Sarawak, which is ruled by Gabungan Parti Sarawak, an alliance of four Sarawak-based parties formerly a part of BN.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT
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