After months of back-and-forths, finally Tun M says no 20% O&G royalty
SIBU: Sarawakians have been cheated. The Pakatan Harapan government is not going to fulfill its election promise of giving Sarawak 20% oil and gas royalty.
“September 27 is a sad day for Sarawak because it’s the day the prime minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) decided for Petronas and not for Sarawak,” said Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira.
Gira was referring to a Bernama report from New York Friday that “the government now realised that giving 20 per cent to the two states would mean that Petronas would no longer become the international oil company that it was”.
The report quoted Dr Mahathir as saying that the 20% “is really not workable”.
Gira, in an interview yesterday, said that PH had made its pronouncements of giving Sarawak and Sabah 20% O&G royalty like as if it would happen the way some of the PH leaders said it — that if they won Putrajaya PH would give the two states their 20%.
“This (decision not to deliver the 20%) is a good lesson for Sarawakians to never to allow themselves to be misled by sugar-coated words of the PH in the future.
“We must not allow ourselves to be cheated for the second time.
“We must not believe in their manifesto. The person who decides against giving us our 20% is the very person who said the PH manifesto is no bible.
“Indeed the PH manifesto is a piece of paper full of empty promises,” Gira said.
He called on Sarawakians to only trust Sarawakians who hold high the flag of the state and the flags of parties that make up the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“Sarawakians should put their trust on our own people to manage and protect the state interest,” he said.
Gira went further to point out that Petronas has yet to pay Sarawak the 5% sales tax imposed on exported petroleum products.
“Petronas has until the end of October to make good, if it fails to meet the deadline, the Sarawak government must make the firm decision to immediately stop Petronas from doing any oil and gas activity in the state,” Gira insisted.
On Friday Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying: “They don’t want to kill Petronas but at the same time they want more money, so we’re trying to work out how we can give them more money without undermining Petronas’ own strength.”
Yesterday Gira, however, said: “Petronas must respect the Sarawak government’s decision, or get out.”
