DAP Sabah calls upon Sabahan
to vote in Pakatan Rakyat to be the next Federal and State government in coming
general election to uphold the oil justice for Sabah.
Its publicity secretary Chan
Foong Hin said, DAP Sabah dismissed the statement by Petronas on last weekend
which stated that the increase of oil royalty will reduce the Petronas’s
profitability and economic viability of all current and future oil and gas
projects under development.
Based on info gathered, the
total asset or profit of Petronas is approximately RM500 billion. However, the
increase of the oil royalty from 5 percent to 20 percent for all oil producing
states, namely Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Terengganu, is just a piece of cake
for such big profitability company.
Chan added, there is no such
thing that the increase of the oil royalty will harm or affect the profit
earning of Petronas. In fact, instead of investing on those big projects like
F-1 Circuit or cost 60 billion Pengerang refinery project which had been
protested by local peoples and alleged that was linked to the cronies of BN,
Petronas should return the revenue of such huge investments to the oil
producing state.
He said, “Without us (the
oil producing state), Petronas would not exist.” Furthermore, he emphasized the
idea of oil justice. The oil and gas should belong to the oil producing state,
but unfortunately the uneven wealth distribution had caused it's own rakyat
survives under poverty line.
During preparation of
Pakatan Rakyat Sabah Alternative Budget in which Chan also a committe member of
it, from the previous years state budget, there was a kind of revenue to state
government paid by Federal government compensation for the loss of revenue for
import and excise duties on petroleum products.
This compensation started in
year 2001 by the then CM Datuk Osu Sukam. According to 2001 budget speech, it
was anticipated that the Federal government will make a payment of RM250
million in respect of this compensation. But according to last few years budget
including 2012 budget, the compensation paid was only RM120 million. in short,
Sabah loss RM130 million every year!
"Not only is the Sabah
State government powerless in increasing the oil royalty, they cannot even get
the Federal government to pay us Sabahan proper compensation from lost revenue
of the lifting of the excise and import taxes for petroleum." Chan said.
Therefore, Pakatan Rakyat,
in view of social justice, pledged to increase the oil royalty from 5 percent
to 20 percent to the oil producing states in order to return the resources back
to the people of the states.
The Pakatan Rakyat Sabah is
going to unveil the state alternative budget on this Wednesday, 17/10. One of
the highlight in the budget is the utilization of the extra oil money following
oil royalty increment. "It is up to the rakyat to compare which state
budget, whether from us or BN, is good for them. And we are confident that we
can do better than BN", Chan concluded.
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