KUCHING, April 21: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg gave assurance that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government is not indulging in vengeance politics against the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government.
He explained that the state government is merely exercising its rights according to the Federal Constitution, particularly of Sarawak’s rights over its oil and gas resources.
“We don’t want to be subservient all the time. Our oil and gas goes elsewhere all this time; we are just asking it to be shared between us Sarawak, who is the producer of the oil and gas, with the oil companies (such as Petronas).
“Our right is our right. Nobody has the right to take the rights of others. It’s a sin,” Abang Johari said during the Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia (PKMM) Sarawak 20th Annual General Meeting Dinner here on Saturday (April 20, 2019).
He said the GPS government only wants the state’s rights to be exercised properly, and the resources to be shared together according to the rights.
“We do not hate the Malayans. Sorry to the peninsula friends here, no, we don’t hate you. We just want everything to be shared accordingly.
“We just cannot take it anymore where Petronas gets all the benefits while Sarawak only gets the crumbs. Even fixing our schools also we (state) have to find our own funds.
“If we have the culture of vengeance politics, the rakyat will suffer. But we in Sarawak are thankful because our politics is patient and thinks of other ways to serve the rakyat.
“It goes without saying that it is not easy to look for funds to build all the bridges in the state but fortunately we (state government) found a way by imposing 5 per cent sales tax on our oil and gas exports,” said Abang Johari. — DayakDaily
