Sarawak DCM joins call to take Putrajaya, Petronas to court

Desmond Davidson Desmond Davidson Updated 4 years ago · Published on 29 Sep 2019 10:11AM · 1 Comments

THE call by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders for the state to take the federal government to court to settle its oil and gas revenue dispute is growing louder, with Deputy Chief Minister James Masing the latest to add his voice.

The Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president said if Petronas does not pay the 5% petroleum tax by the October 31 deadline Putrajaya and the national oil company had been given, the state government should take them to court for breaching the federal constitution.

PRS is one of four parties making up GPS, and imposing the petroleum tax is the state’s right under the federal constitution.

Yesterday, state Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah had said the Sarawak government “will pursue legal action” against Petronas if it does not pay the petroleum sales tax before the deadline.

“We have given them until October to pay. If they don’t, then we have to sue them. We will have to sue them. We are prepared for that. We cannot wait,” Karim reportedly said at a press conference after opening the 10th Asian Bird Fair 2019 in Kuching.

Karim said except for Petronas, other oil companies operating in the state, like Shell and Murphy Oil, had paid their tax.

On Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement in New York yesterday that raising the oil royalty to Sarawak and Sabah from the current 5% to 20% was “not workable”, Masing said it was just another cap in Pakatan Harapan’s string of lies.

“PH promised 20% oil royalty to Sarawak and Sabah (in its general election manifesto) and was voted in based on such promises, among other things.

“Now they are voted in and today, they say they can’t do it because PH doesn’t have the money due to the Barisan Nasional government’s financial misdeeds.

“This excuse had been repeated over and over again in the last two years.

“I am getting tired of it and so are Malaysian voters.

“We must always remember this: PH promised 20% oil royalty; the voters delivered.

“Now they are in, and after winning, they renege on their promise. That is cheating.

“PH shouldn’t lie to voters to win. You lie once, there is no guarantee that you will not lie again,” Masing said. – September 29, 2019.

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Comments

  • Be realistic.. how can the government pay when it has no money and stands in the brink of bankruptcy.
    My friend, this is far bigger than you feeling tired of it.... Why dont you ask the BN government how they managed to accumulate debts to such astounding numbers, concealed it, and now the burden on PH to fulfil the promises..
    Well, PH could probably be able to pay the 20% but this would mean the possibility of bringing Malaysia to bankruptcy... When this situation happens, in steps IMF.. and once the world organisation is involved, we will be influenced, obliged and driven by western terms in how to manage the country. Sabah, Sarawak including Peninsular will then head south. We will partially lose our sovereignty...

    Posted 4 years ago by Kampung Boy · Reply