BATU Lintang assemblyman See Chee How has quit the Sarawak Consultative Committee over the state government’s bypassing the committee to directly negotiate with Putrajaya and Petronas for settlement of the state’s sales tax.

The committee was formed to advise the state government on negotiations with the federal government over state rights and compliance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) 

See said his resignation is to put on record his protest against “any unauthorised, illegitimate and improper conduct of the Sarawak state government”.

The former PKR member, who joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) after his sacking from the party, said the state government’s invocation of executive powers to bypass the committee would lead to questions over lack of transparency .

He said the direct dealings would take the arrears to be paid to Sarawak outside the purview of the state legislative body and the committee it has established to oversee such matters.

The Sarawak Consultative Committee established a separate panel on June 10 to negotiate with Petronas and the federal government over the payment of more than RM2 billion owed to the state in taxes.

The panel is headed by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

Two days later, however, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg introduced a “working committee with executive powers” to negotiate with Petronas and Putrajaya.

This committee is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.

Abang Johari said the two new committees would work together.

See today said said he was taken aback when Awang Tengah on July 8 disclosed that the SST settlement and agreement will be made known to the public after August 3.

See said the state consultative committee was not kept informed of Awang Tengah’s committee’s doings.

He said he was particularly concerned about the committee’s stand over thorny issues such as the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974, the Continental Shelf Act 1966 and the Territorial Sea Act 2012.

See said the consultative committee had decided that these three issues were non-negotiable, and asked if Awang Tengah had ignored this in his negotiations.

He said the negotiating team appointed by the consultative committee have not met with the working committee appointed by the state government.

“Yet the joint committee said to consist of members from the Sarawak government, the federal government and Petronas are already in the midst of negotiating the finer details of the terms and conditions for the settlement and agreement between Sarawak and Petronas,” he said in a press conference today.

“By conducting itself outside the purview of the state legislative assembly and the MA63 Consultative Committee, the process is no longer transparent and is in danger of being labelled unauthorised, illegitimate and improper.”

See said it was untenable for him to remain on the consultative committee as “the roles, intents and purposes of the Consultative Committee have been ignored, flouted and slighted by the exercise of executive power”. – July 14, 2020.