PH did not promise oil royalty increase unconditionally
- Chong | Borneo
KUCHING: Pakatan Harapan (PH) did not promise an
increase of oil royalty from the present five per cent to 20 per cent
unconditionally.
In pointing this out
today, PH Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said the Sarawak government would
have to assume fiscal responsibility in education and health in order to
receive the 20 per cent oil royalty.
He reminded all that
PH had offered was an agreement to the state ruling coalition – then Barisan
Nasional (BN) Sarawak and now Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – before the 2018
general elections.
In that agreement,
he said it was clearly stated under ‘Fiscal Decentralisation: Taxation &
Public Revenues’ that PH would give 20 per cent oil and gas royalties or value
equivalent as well as 50 per cent of all tax revenues collected in Sarawak back
to the state if Sarawak took over autonomy in education and health.
“But Abg Jo (Chief
Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) and GPS rejected this offer. They
want the 20 per cent (oil royalty) to be used by them to their whims and
fancies.
“That’s not what we
offered and agreed. And Abg Jo has taken upon himself to negotiate with PM
(prime minister). We don’t know why he (Abang Johari) rejected the offer,” he
said after chairing the PH Sarawak meeting held at Democratic Action Party
(DAP) headquarters here.
Chong, who is Deputy
Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, stressed that the 50 per cent
tax revenues and 20 per cent oil and gas royalties were ‘tied in together with
education and health autonomy’.
He read out an
excerpt from the agreement: “The Government of Sarawak shall use these funds
(50 per cent of tax revenues and 20 per cent oil and gas royalties or value
equivalent) to shoulder the fiscal responsibility of the Federal Government in
EDUCATION and HEALTH.”
“The ball is now in
the court of Abg Jo. He wants to negotiate with PM, that’s his decision and the
mandate of Sarawakians given to him,” he said.
According to Chong, the Sarawak government was not
asking for devolution of education autonomy from the federal government.
Given this, he said
all the concern raised by GPS leaders on education issues ‘is playing to the
gallery’ since they had no intention to have autonomy in education.
He said PH did not
ditch their offer because it was GPS which rejected it.
On a note that Abang Johari said that he had submitted a
new formula to Putrajaya, he responded: “It’s between him and PM.”
Chong said the
agreement was not hastily done as PH had carried out studies and negotiations
as well as obtaining feedback from the oil and gas sector.
On ‘value
equivalent’, he said there was concern by the oil and gas sector that they
might not be able to pay the amount as they could not predict the world crude oil
price.
“Let’s say if the
value is RM5 billion, and if they cannot pay, then the federal government will
top up, this is value equivalent,” he explained.
At present, the five per cent oil and gas royalties to
Sarawak is about RM1.5 billion a year.
Chong said a rough
calculation indicated that the Sarawak government would receive about RM8
billion a year to take over autonomy in education and health.
“The expenditure on
education and health is seven point something billion,” he added.
My comments:
These PH Sarawak DAP traitors especially always speak
on behalf of the Malayan government. DAP
Chong Chieng Jen, especially too dog-like and too traitor-minded and hearted to
protect the rights of Sarawak. He is
digging his own grave each time to express himself in public to lie on behalf
of the Malayan imperialist. He has more
or less ended his political career. I
strongly believe that at least 99% of the Chinese are cursing him.
PH Sarawak political
thugs are not expected to find all kinds of execuses for the plundering and
exploitation of the Malayan government on the oil and gas resources and other
revenues taken. It is irrational and
abusive on the part of the Malayan government to deny the payment for the
minimum 20% of oil and gas royalties to the oil producing country. Petronas, I can restassure saying that they
won’t dare to deduct 0.05% of oil and gas royalties that they have the share in
business dealings with other countries.
Chong Chieng Jen should stop all the rubbish talk
about other irrelevant and illogical comments on the said issues which he has
repeated so many times.
