SARAWAK Deputy Chief Minister James Masing has joined the chorus of criticism against Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh who recently claimed that the “Sarawak for Sarawakians” call by local rights groups would only polarise the country.
Speaking at the ‘Day of Patriotism’ forum in Kuching last Saturday, Yeoh said the movement would also hinder the Malaysia Baru concept.
Masing said Yeoh should not teach Sarawakians about racial polarisation as the state already has people of different races and religions living, working and playing together.
“Whatever Pakatan Harapan thinks of (former prime minister) Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional, there was one thing he did which was correct, the concept of 1Malaysia,” Masing said in a WhatsApp message to The Malaysian Insight.
The 1Malaysia concept reportedly was based on the racial and religious tolerance in Sarawak.
Masing is currently in the United States where he is a member of Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg’s investment-seeking delegation.
“Regardless of race or religion, Sarawakians eat on the same table, but don’t share the same food and have no qualms about religions because we pray to our (respective) God not to impress our neighbours on our religious morality,” he said to contrast against the deep divisions in the peninsular brought by racism and religious extremism.
“Please don’t preach to us how to be good Malaysians. We are already good Malaysians.
“We don’t steal other people’s assets to enrich our states,” Masing said in reference to Sabah and Sarawak’s claims that Putrajaya has been plundering of the states’ oil and gas resources.
Sarawak is in a long running dispute with Putrajaya over how much royalty the state should get for its oil and gas resources.
Currently, the royalty quantum is 5%, but the state is demanding the payout be increased to 20% – an amount Putrajaya said would bankrupt the national oil company Petronas.
Sarawak has threatened to tear up the royalty deal by taking complete control of its oil and gas resources by exercising its Oil Mining Ordinance (OMO).
State rights group Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) said Yeoh’s statement was made in the same spirit as Putrajaya’s demand for Sarawak to stop asking for the reinstatement of its lost rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
S4S spokesperson Eric Leong said Yeoh was asking the people of Sarawak to “let Malaya dictate everything” and stop demanding their rights.
“Yeoh did not come to Sarawak with goodies but with a busload of criticisms. Since the formation of Malaysia, Sarawak has been contributing to the building of Malaysia by letting Petronas tap its oil and ğas resources
“Even after all these contributions, we have not been fairly treated,” he said.
Leong said Sarawak was the model of an integrated society, and that peninsular Malaysia had much to learn from them.
“On unity and equality, Peninsular Malaysia should learn from Sarawak, instead of them telling us Sarawakians what to do, as Sarawak has shown to be a more of an integrated society than Peninsular Malaysia,” he said. – October 1, 2018.
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Comments
Posted 7 years ago by Xuz ZG · Reply
At the core of the argument is the oil royalties and errosion of the Malaysian agreement terms between Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah. If you're willing to give up just 15% after tax of your income then come and talk smack. Petronas saw a profit/revenue of PBT 31% and 22% PAT. Dr.M's reasoning that Petronas won't be able to survive is a joke. 5% royalties is a joke.
Your usage of the 'ordinary Sarawakian' is also a misrepresentation, don't be like the old BN rulers who talk before they think. Unless you were sitting under a bus, Sarawak is no longer a fixed deposit as the seat ratio is no longer a 2/3rd majority. 19bn-13opp. With the voters split 462,090bn-418,438opp. Please think then speak.
Have a good day.I don't blame you for being half deluded in thinking it is just the Sarawakian leaders who are plundering state resources. However, everyone with an education here knows it is both the federal government and the old regiment of leaders linked to T.M who are doing the leaching. Your use of 'on the contrary' is misinformed.
At the core of the argument is the oil royalties and errosion of the Malaysian agreement terms between Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah. If you're willing to give up just 15% after tax of your income then come and talk smack. Petronas saw a profit/revenue of PBT 31% and 22% PAT. Dr.M's reasoning that Petronas won't be able to survive is a joke. 5% royalties is a joke.
Your usage of the 'ordinary Sarawakian' is also a misrepresentation, don't be like the old BN rulers who talk before they think. Unless you were sitting under a bus, Sarawak is no longer a fixed deposit as the seat ratio is no longer a 2/3rd majority. 19bn-13opp. With the voters split (+-)462,090bn-418,438opp. Please think then speak.
Have a good day.
Posted 7 years ago by Paren Leo · Reply
At the core of the argument is the oil royalties and errosion of the Malaysian agreement terms between Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah. If you're willing to give up just 15% after tax of your income then come and talk smack. Petronas saw a profit/revenue of PBT 31% and 22% PAT. Dr.M's reasoning that Petronas won't be able to survive is a joke. 5% royalties is a joke.
Your usage of the 'ordinary Sarawakian' is also a misrepresentation, don't be like the old BN rulers who talk before they think. Unless you were sitting under a bus, Sarawak is no longer a fixed deposit as the seat ratio is no longer a 2/3rd majority. 19bn-13opp. With the voters split (+-)462,090bn-418,438opp. Please think then speak.
Have a good day.
Note: Sorry for the double post, working on a handheld now. Somehow that happened. Moderators please remove the previous comment. Thank you.
Posted 7 years ago by Paren Leo · Reply
Posted 7 years ago by Awang Bilis · Reply
Posted 7 years ago by Paren Leo · Reply