KUCHING: State Reform Party Sarawak (STAR) is urging State Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Sarawak PH to amend the ‘new deal’ of the oil and gas royalty as ‘no go deal’.
President of STAR, Lina Soo describes the ‘new deal’ touted by PH’s Stampin Member of Parliament Chong Chieng Jen and Works Minister Baru Bian to offer the current five per cent royalty and a further 20 per cent oil profit as sheer audacity and a diversionary tactic.
“In what capacity Chong and Baru Bian have in amending the election promise on oil royalty,” she questioned in a press statement issued yesterday.
Lina questioned, are Chong and Baru representing the Prime Minister, the Economic Affairs Minister, the Finance Minister, Petronas; or are they liaison officers between the Federal Government and the Sarawak Government?
“PH leaders in Sarawak are desperately looking into every conceivable angle to help Petronas cover up its rapacious act of infringing upon Sarawak oil and gas resources,” she said.
She queried why PH which claimed to fight for 20 per cent oil royalty on production before election, now altered it to 20 per cent on profit; and then insisted that Sarawak government to pay for education and healthcare which are Federal lists.
“Whose side are they on,” asked Soo.
PKR Deputy President Datuk Seri Mohamed Azman Ali’s warning that Malaysia’s petroleum industry will be ‘buried’ and Petronas may cease operations if the federal government accedes to the 20 per cent royalty, Lina said it is good news for Sarawak, as Sarawak can manage its own petroleum resources which it had done since oil was first discovered in Miri in 1910.
“Petronas is not indispensable to Sarawak, and it does not have to put up much longer with this nonsense from PH leaders to hold Sarawak to ransom over our natural resources within our territory,” she pointed out.
Lina said Petronas should stop hiding behind the ‘sarongs’ of Sarawak PH leaders as any undercover tactic can never erase their secretive and shadowy operation style, as long as they do not open their accounts to public scrutiny.
“Chong and Baru are playing politics and using distraction strategy with Sarawak’s resources because they do not have the gumption to address the real issue on the oil and gas ownership that rightfully belongs to Sarawak,” she said.
STAR’s view has always been that oil and gas resources on Sarawak territory belongs to Sarawak and no Sarawak PH leader or Excavator purporting to represent the Federal Government has any rights to bargain with Sarawak landowner over our petroleum resources.
The Petroleum Development Act (PDA) and Territorial Sea Act (TSA) are unconstitutional and unenforceable in Sarawak, and therefore Lina called upon Sarawak Dewan Undangan Negeri to convene a special sitting to legislate for the inapplicability of both Acts to Sarawak, to put the matter to rest.
