Search This Blog

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Sabah deserves more from what is taken from Sabah - SAPP

By Melanie Chia

It is a mockery that BN Sabah failed to understand what is oil royalty. Instead of supporting the call to increase the oil royalty for Sabah, BN Sabah still want to confuse the people comparing oil royalty to development funds from the Federal Government.

SAPP reaffirms that Sabah deserves more from what is taken from Sabah and asking for an increase in oil royalty is not out of the ordinary. In fact, it should have been a move taken up by the Sabah State
Government.

"What is the use of being a fixed deposit State if you do no know how to harness this fixed deposit! Furthermore, it had been more than 35 years since Sabah signed the oil agreement."

Sabah Barisan Nasional Secretary and MP for Kota Belud Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan's worry that Sabah will be 'worse off' if an increase in Sabah oil royalty lead to a reduction in federal allocation for development is unfounded.

Sabah BN leaders should not confuse the people with the notion that more of one will lead to less of the other fund. We deserve both and we should have both the monies.

Development funding from the Federal Government allocated for development in the State is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Sabah should have received it's fair share of this development funds since the formation of Malaysia in 1963. It is only in the recent years that Sabah received greater attention and gets an increase in it's share of the Federal Government's allocation for development.

Sabah gets a mere 5% in oil royalty from the oil agreement signed in 1976. PETRONAS, the national oil company incorporated in 1974 is vested with the entire ownership and control of the petroleum resources in Malaysia. For having surrendered all the oil and gas resources, PETRONAS pays the 5% oil royalty to the Sabah State
Government and likewise, the Federal Government also gets 5% oil royalty on top of all the other taxes it collect from the oil and gas industry.

Sabah ought to stop enslaving itself hoping for more federal allocations which should have been due anyhow as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Asking for more oil royalty now after more than 35 years is only asking for a bit more of what Malaysians in Sabah rightly deserved.

Melanie Chia is Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Women chief cum State Assemblywoman for N.16 Luyang

45 comments:

  1. Dear YB Melanie,

    I came across your response above and I must thank you for your response.

    Reading your comments, I cannot help but wonder whether you undersood what I actually said in the article.

    I have said that I am grateful if the royalty is increased to 20%. I have no reason what so ever not to support it.

    But that is not the gist of my view. What I am worried about is how Anwar Ibrahim would fulfill his promise? I do not want him to give us extra royalty only to turn around and cut our federal allocation devrlopment budget which is his prerogative as the Prime Minister. That is why we must insist he guarantees that this would not happen. Once he has done this, then he must find other ways to finance the more than RM10bil extra royalties for Sabah, Sarawak, Trengganu and Kelantan. It is very likely that he has to cut allocations for the non-oil producing states. The very least Anwar should do is to inform those states of their fate.

    Some Pakatan leaders said that their anti-corruption efforts and renegotiation of lop sided deals would generate billions that could be used to finance the extra royalties. My response to this is that no government in the whole wide world would be so irresponsible as to include those highly unpredictable amounts as part of their government revenue! What if Anwar couldnt hit the target? Then you will have a severely messed up budget!

    You should know that since you were once Assistant Finance Minister before.

    Regards,
    Abdul Rahman Dahlan
    MP Kota Belud

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree with Datuk Rahman Dahlan. Pakatan Rakyat must explain clearly whether the increased oil royalty will affect the Federal allocations. As far as I'm concerned, Sabah and Sarawakians still continues to pay taxes to the Federal, we deserves to get the federal funds.

      Delete
    2. The difference between oil royalty and federal allocation is that oil royalty is a fixed amount that needs to be paid.If it is 20% than Sabah will receive that amount.Federal allocation is different because the state government has to lobby very hard for it every single day.I think the CM has to dream about it every night and pray for the kind generosity of the PM.The CM even has to beg for kindness and at times have to exchange favours like 'You scratch my back and I scratch your back' and its never ending day in and day out.

      So,between the two its better to have increased royalty so the state does not have to beg and to sacrifice its integrity just to get an extra million in allocation.But then I think Rahman 'jumps over the river too early' as to ask Anwar that kind of question.Is public opinion so much tilt in favour of Pakatan that BN is getting ready to cede power? His question has given the wrong signal,the wrong impression about the political situation in the country,that is the high probability that BN will be defeated come the next GE so it is kind of getting ready to pack up because there is nowhere you can stop the storm from coming and sweeping clean the whole beautiful landscape.Is that so?

      I would like to pose this question to YB Rahman too.Should we in UMNO gets ready to abandon ship?

      The general feelings on the ground is that UMNO/BN will still be in Putrajaya after GE13.Do not rock the boat because the one who is going to fall and drown is you.I also suggest that YB do a good homework before opening wide your mouth the next time.

      Delete
    3. Anwar perlulah menjawab persoalan daripada Rahman Dahlan untuk mengurangkan kekeliruan oleh rakyat.

      Delete
    4. then Anwar should response to this matter...or maybe Anwar will 'bermuka-muka'..

      Delete
    5. perlu dijelaskan. jika royalti minyak dinaikkan, adakah ia akan menjejaskan peruntukan dari Persekutuan.

      Delete
    6. It is the norm for opposition parties to make all kinds of promises because they know they are not the ruling party and all their promises remain false promises

      Delete
    7. Anwar perlu jawab soalan datuk Rahman dahlan agar perkara ini dapat di jelaskan.

      Delete
    8. jawapan dari Anwar pasti dinantikan...

      Delete
  2. If we were to stop getting Federal Allocations. Sabah and Sarawak deserves 100% oil royalties, and pay taxes ONLY to Sabah and Sarawak government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Setuju 100%, baik duit Sabah digunakan untuk pembagunan Sabah dan duit Semenanjung digunakan untuk membangunkan Semenanjung.

      Delete
    2. Is that possible to be done?

      Delete
    3. it makes sense...but can it be done?

      Delete
    4. ...only if you vote UBA-approved parties.

      Delete
    5. sabah and sarawak deserve the federal allocation. even if sabah and sarawak were given 100% oil royalties

      Delete
  3. SAPP has launched its "sustainable economic plan" for Sabah which is our Sabah New Hope for Sabah people future.

    UMNO is simply a rubbish party and couldn't attract any FDI and create jobs opportunity for Sabah graduates except those low pay job for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT at plantation sector.

    Sabah should be financially self-survive even though without a single cent channel to Sabah if SAPP economic plan for Sabah take place.

    Let all Sabah people stay united to kick all the party malaya PR and UMNO out from Sabah! They only come in to rob and steal our natural resources!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i don't think SAPP will win in the next GE.

      Delete
    2. If not then Sabah's future will be going down the drain. You better think carefully.

      Delete
    3. Haha ... Anon above has nailed this sony on the wall like mati katak.... hahahaha

      Delete
    4. SAPP takkan menang. SAPP tidak boleh diharap.

      Delete
    5. semua parti ada strategi mereka..susah juga sapp mahu menang..mungkin juga akan kalah..

      Delete
  4. Biar rakyat Sabah yang membuat keputusan mereka bila kedatangan PRU-13 nanti. Hanya rakyat sahaja yang berhak membuat perubahan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PRU makin hampir..undilah dengan bijak..

      Delete
    2. mampukah PRU -13 mengubah kadar royalti minyak tersebut?

      Delete
    3. pilihan terletak ditangan rakyat..jadi biar rakyat yang memilih..

      Delete
  5. will we at least get 20% of oil royalty?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we can get more if you all support UBA-approved parties.

      Delete
    2. it's not impossible if more effort by the leaders to get more oil royalty.

      Delete
    3. UBA?? Apa bakti / sumbagan UBA pada Sabah?

      Delete
    4. Jika royalti minyak di naikkan pasti dapat membantu. 20% naikpun kira ok juga.

      Delete
  6. What is UBA? Only emerge when the election is near to become an opportunist.

    What UBA has done to help the people for the past donkey years? Its NOTHING.

    UBA only playing with the issue asking this and that funds from malaya but got no idea on how to develop Sabah.

    Where was the RM4 billion Yayasan Sabah money cheated by Jeffrey Kitingan in PBS time? This all are Sabahans money. Ask jeffrey to return back to all of us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just like STAR in Sabah. can they be trusted?

      Delete
    2. JK had the chance to exact change when he was in the Government in the past but instead he did nothing.

      JK was one of the leaders in the 1980s who had held positions in the Government for about 16 years but did nothing to change problems he said was plaguing Sabah at the moment.

      Delete
    3. Macamana mau percaya, jika JK sendiri mempuyai sejarah yang tidak berapa bagus sebgai pemimpin.

      Delete
  7. We know Sabah deserves with what taken from Sabah but the agreement before and the effort by Petronas exploration to find the source.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SAPP sama STAR masing2 tidak mau kalah. yang satu 20%, yang satu lagi 50% untuk kenaikan minyak. Masalah nya dapat kh mereka menunaikan janji. Rakyat tidak akan mudah terpedaya.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAPP and STAR should cooperate instead of going against each other. All this while, i though sapp and Star are now cooperating. looks like im wrong.

      Delete
    2. tidak mustail juga sapp dan star ni akan bersaing sesama mereka nanti.

      Delete
  9. Kita tunggu sahaja lah PRU nanti, harap rakyat tau menilai dan undi dengan bijak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. vote wisely people! your votes will determine sabah's future as well as yours.

      Delete
  10. I don't know who is more confusing, SAPP or BN.

    ReplyDelete
  11. can sapp give more than that??

    ReplyDelete
  12. semua parti pun akan memberikan pelbagai janji..tapi rakyat perlu menilai dengan sebaiknya.

    ReplyDelete
  13. ni yb-yb yang mau jaga urang tempatan sabah, patut sedar bila lagi mau suara didengar, kalau dalam kerajaan pun macam dalam parti pembangkang, patut tukarlah, urang muda2 bosan sudah ni stail pulitik sabaun, masa kempen bukan main lagi....dekat sudah buli angkat itu gunung kinabalu...last2 bila manang....ndada juga perjuangan rakyat banyak perjuangan poket sahaja....adih, kalau begini nda hairan projek ic makanan betul bikin kasi manang "durang" mungkin itu sebab utama takut betul bikin RCI, tapi nda apa....rakyat bikin RCI sendiri dalam PRU13 .............
    jarang2 dapat diramal ni UNDI, kecuali ada lagi projek SABAH BARU ----- iaitu bagi IC pada PTI yang baru semalam datang...terus mengundi dan jadi BUMIPUTERA Sabah....lain kali SEMUA ANAK CUCU kamurang jadi PTI di Indonesia dan Filipina...atau di Pakistan....tapi kalau dapat jadi Warganegara di Berunai dan Singapura kan untung.....tuuuu na, itu kontraktor ......... PTI punya, itu kelapa sawit pun PTI punya....adih....

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sabah berhak mendapatkan layana yang lebih baik daripada kerajaan persekutuan kerana Sabah juga menyumbang usaha dan sumber untuk pembangunan Malaysia.

    ReplyDelete