KUCHING: Sarawak Patriots Association (SPA) has urged the federal government to do the honourable thing and stop being obsessed with political expedience and political one-upmanship at the expense of its promises, several of which motivated the people to vote for Pakatan Harapan (PH) during the 14th general election.
Its president, Datuk John Lau, wondered which of these promises would be fulfilled in the months to come and which would be ignored or allowed to slide with the hope that the voters would eventually forget about them?
Lau was responding to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remark that raising the oil royalty to 20 per cent for Sabah and Sarawak was not workable.
This, to him, is perplexing because 20 (for Sarawak) plus 20 (for Sabah) is 40 per cent, which would still be smaller than the 60 per cent left for Malaya.
“Our members are frustrated that the government has reneged on several of its promises. It is not good for the country unless there are legitimate reasons. The government needs to be transparent and accountable for its promises,” he said.
He recalled that during the 14th general election (GE14), a majority of Malaysians placed their hopes in Pakatan Harapan (PH) and elected the coalition to power.
He hoped that the Prime Minister’s remark on the royalty is not final as the Special Cabinet Committee on Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) is still working on the various issues including oil and gas.
