KUCHING: Finally receiving the RM2.95 billion state sales tax (SST) payment from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) for 2019 is a sweet and lucrative victory for Sarawak, said Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman Datuk Peter Minos.
He said this success was attributable to the persistent and determined hard work and legal fight put up by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, and the Sarawak legal team.
He noted that this payment in addition to those from other oil and gas companies such as Shell, Murphy Oil, and so on would gain Sarawak a significant sum to greatly help the state’s development.
“It will help Sarawak in further social and economic progress and advancement in all aspects,” he said in a statement on Friday.
He noted that Sarawak will work with Petronas on commercial deals in oil and gas, thus bringing more money and opportunities to Sarawakians. He described this as a road to prosperity.
“On our victory, I have an uncanny feeling that our Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had quietly intervened and interceded. If not, Petronas would not have given up and would instead fight it out all the way.
“If this is so, we must thank our prime minister, a really good and wise leader who is friendly towards Sarawak,” he said.
Minos also saluted and congratulated Abang Johari for it was his original idea to use Sarawak’s laws to get Petronas to pay the SST. He commended the chief minister’s ‘financial engineering’.
He said that Sarawak’s legal team certainly fought hard in court but the basic push, inspiration, and direction had come from the chief minister.
“So congratulations to them all — it is a big plus to GPS and especially to Abang Johari,” he said.
