Why no YB picks the legal issue on the status of PETRONAS?

KOTA KINABALU - In Miri, during the Gawai celebration Prime Minster Najib Tun Razak PM agreed on the proposal made by the Sarawak Chief Minister Adnen Satim to increase from 5 percent to 20 percent. Najib said he has no qualms in negotiating and he will give the utmost consideration.

The people in Sabah also expecting the Chief Minister Musa Aman to follow suit but so far Musa has not mentioned anything specific while leaders from other Sabah BN components like PBS, PBRS agree to Sarawak proposal.

Other Malaysia oil producing States are Terengganu and Kelantan.

Kelantan on the other hand has been campaigning much more vigorously than any other state in Malaysia.

The figure 20 percent royalty was earlier proposed by Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan, perhaps the figure must have been worked out by taking account all factors involved in the industry.

Besides oil royalty, Sabah and Sarawak leaders are expected to be aware for any opinions, for example a month ago an NGO, PIPPA-Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis held a seminar titled "Sabah Gas and Petroleum Royalty or Ownership" the issue of what happens to PETRONAS after the Emergency is lifted.

This is legal argument which even Professor Shad Saleem Faruqi from UITM is in agreement on the issue once Emergency law is lifted the proviso of the Federal Constitution, any law which were acted during the emergency period is null and void, meaning no longer valid. The Issue brought by the expert whether correctly or wrongly should trigger the mind of YBs in our august house. Aren't they curious about the discovery?

Comment by Haji Amde Sidik, Director of PIPPA- Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis Sabah