KOTA MARUDU: The opposition leaning NGO, Movement for Change Sabah (APS), is urging MPs from Sabah, especially those from Barisan Nasional (BN), not to be scared of demanding more payment for oil and gas extracted from the state.
Former Senator and current APS deputy president Maijol Mahap, said over the weekend that the 5% royalty his still poorly developed state is getting from Petronas is pittance and an injustice that should be corrected.
Maijol, once a BN leader until he resigned in 2012, said this in response to the pointed request by Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem and later echoed by a group of youth leaders of Sabah BN component parties but not Umno.
He stressed that there’s no point in second echelon leaders in the BN parties shouting about it in Sabah. He said it would make a difference if their top leaders raised the matter in the parliament.
“It is heartening to see that more and more Barisan Nasional leaders are demanding for the increase of oil royalty from Petronas from the present 5% to 20%.
“I hope the Barisan Nasional MPs from Sabah including (Tan Sri) Pairin Kitingan as the MP for Keningau will be vocal on the matter in Parliament.
“We need him as our very senior leader and Huguan Siou to say that in Parliament. There is not much point of shouting it here in Sabah, but not in Parliament,” he said.
He also hoped Barisan Nasional MPs from Sarawak too would do the same, especially since their Chief Minister has already given the nod for them to speak out without fear and favour.
The former Senator also noted that so far, only the non-Umno MPs, including himself in the Senate, had raised the issue in the parliament. Unfortunately, their “speeches were only good for recording in the Hansard”.
He reminded that there were several instances in the past in which the Federal government flatly rejected the demands of the Sabahans on some very important issues, but when the people continued to put on pressure, the demands were granted as, the BN feared losing power.
He cited for examples, the eventual declaration of Sept 16 as a public holiday and celebration for Malaysia Day, and the formation of RCI on the illegal immigrants in Sabah, albeit half-heartedly granted and done.
Maijol was also convinced that the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat will continue to press for the oil royalty increment for Sabah, citing that it has become one of the cornerstones of its struggle.
“In the last election, it has been entrenched in its manifesto and it was clear that the people supported it as that was one the reasons for the obvious swing of people supports to Pakatan Rakyat,” he said.
FMT Borneo Plus
Former Senator and current APS deputy president Maijol Mahap, said over the weekend that the 5% royalty his still poorly developed state is getting from Petronas is pittance and an injustice that should be corrected.
Maijol, once a BN leader until he resigned in 2012, said this in response to the pointed request by Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem and later echoed by a group of youth leaders of Sabah BN component parties but not Umno.
He stressed that there’s no point in second echelon leaders in the BN parties shouting about it in Sabah. He said it would make a difference if their top leaders raised the matter in the parliament.
“It is heartening to see that more and more Barisan Nasional leaders are demanding for the increase of oil royalty from Petronas from the present 5% to 20%.
“I hope the Barisan Nasional MPs from Sabah including (Tan Sri) Pairin Kitingan as the MP for Keningau will be vocal on the matter in Parliament.
“We need him as our very senior leader and Huguan Siou to say that in Parliament. There is not much point of shouting it here in Sabah, but not in Parliament,” he said.
He also hoped Barisan Nasional MPs from Sarawak too would do the same, especially since their Chief Minister has already given the nod for them to speak out without fear and favour.
The former Senator also noted that so far, only the non-Umno MPs, including himself in the Senate, had raised the issue in the parliament. Unfortunately, their “speeches were only good for recording in the Hansard”.
He reminded that there were several instances in the past in which the Federal government flatly rejected the demands of the Sabahans on some very important issues, but when the people continued to put on pressure, the demands were granted as, the BN feared losing power.
He cited for examples, the eventual declaration of Sept 16 as a public holiday and celebration for Malaysia Day, and the formation of RCI on the illegal immigrants in Sabah, albeit half-heartedly granted and done.
Maijol was also convinced that the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat will continue to press for the oil royalty increment for Sabah, citing that it has become one of the cornerstones of its struggle.
“In the last election, it has been entrenched in its manifesto and it was clear that the people supported it as that was one the reasons for the obvious swing of people supports to Pakatan Rakyat,” he said.
FMT Borneo Plus
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Important - The views expressed and the links provided on our comment pages are the personal views of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sabah Report.