Sarawak’s oil, Sarawak’s soil, so let us decide, says Nancy
Sarawakians should be the ones dictating how much oil royalty it will get as the oil is in their soil, said Sarawak MP Nancy Shukri.
Nancy, who is Batang Sadong MP, said a lot of Sarawakians were of the view that the state had been enriching West Malaysians and as a result the state had become backward and has not been getting much.
“Sarawakians have been talking. They say, ‘we see the Petronas Twin Towers, but look at us. Where are we?’
“That is why Sarawakians are now very aggressive and protective about their reserves. We explain why the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is still important because Sabah and Sarawak are still very backward in terms of development.
“We should not be backward any more. We should be getting a lot more because we need that money to develop the state,” she said at a forum “A New Malaysia: The Way Ahead” held at Sunway University here today.
Also present were Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil and Umno Supreme Council member Zambry Abdul Kadir.
The Pakatan Harapan government had previously agreed to a 20% oil royalty for Sarawak.
“It (the oil) is in our soil. We should be the ones to dictate how much oil royalty we should be getting.”
The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said before the 14th general election, a committee set up to look into the issue was already moving into the second phase, where they were discussing with Petronas to determine the quantum of royalty.
Fahmi later told the floor that if something had been agreed upon and signed, it must be honoured.
“In principle, for me as a lawmaker, if something is signed, it must be honoured.
“I would like to see the agreement fulfilled. If not, what good is our word?” he added.
The forum was moderated by Professor James Chin, who is director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
This article first appeared in the Free Malaysia Today on August 29, 2018
