Special cabinet committee on MA63 a farce, says Jeffrey Kitingan

Sabah opposition leader Jeffrey Kitingan says it will be silly for the Sabah government to pay for a stake in Petronas.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah opposition leader Jeffrey Kitingan has described the Special Cabinet Committee for Review and Implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as a farce.

He said a news report saying there were still four major issues left unresolved by the committee was not only disappointing but also showed that nothing substantial was coming from its meetings after almost one and a half years.

He said Sabahans and Sarawakians were expecting the committee to focus on the implementation of both states’ rights, especially those written in the Federal Constitution, in particular, revenue rights.

It also included oil ownership and 20% royalty, which were promised by Pakatan Harapan in its manifesto for the 14th general election, he added.

Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin, who is a member of the technical committee, said recently that only four issues were pending in the special committee’s review of the MA63 implementation.

These were oil royalty issues and petroleum cash payments; oil minerals and oil fields; Territorial Sea Act 2012; and state rights over the continental shelf.

Jeffrey, who is Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president, said the federal government should stop skirting around MA63 and pretending to deal with issues and making empty promises.

“After 56 years, what are the benefits of Sabah and Sarawak being in Malaysia? This is being openly questioned by Sabahans and Sarawakians and their unhappiness is growing every day.

“Sabah and Sarawak are losing more than we gain. Most things are flowing out of Sabah — revenue, natural resources, job opportunities.

“If the situation was reversed for Malaya, how would they feel?”

Now, Jeffrey said, instead of returning the oil and gas ownership rights to Sabah and Sarawak, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had suggested selling stakes in Petronas to the Borneon states.

He reiterated his objection to such a suggestion, saying the oil and gas in Sabah and Sarawak solely belonged to the respective states and that the federal government could not sell something it did not own.

“Petronas should be owned jointly by the oil-producing states and the federal government, not the latter alone,” he said.

Jeffrey said Sabah and Sarawak, being the biggest contributors, should be owning the majority of shares in Petronas.

He said it would be silly for the Sabah government to take up the Petronas offer by Mahathir and pay for the shares. - FMT