KUCHING, Sept 30: Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen has no proper locus standi on the oil royalty or tax revenue for Sarawak issue, says political secretary to the Chief Minister Soo Li Ching.
According to Soo in a statement today, when Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg mentioned that the state government had submitted a new formula to the federal government on revenue sharing with Petronas, Chong’s remark was that it was between Abang Johari and Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“It seems to us that Chong has no proper locus standi nor has any say on the 20 per cent oil royalty and 50 per cent tax revenue as Sarawak Pakatan Harapan (PH) has to abide with and be obedient to whatever is decided by the Malaya PH (Pakatan Harapan) or our Prime Minister,” Soo opined.
She then challenged Chong to tell Dr Mahathir and Petronas that if the 20 per cent royalty is not paid to Sarawak, then Petronas should stop its operation here, rather than give numerous excuses to cover for their failures to fulfil their promises.
“I believe all Sarawakians will have the same feeling of being cheated by the sweet talk of being given back the 20 per cent of the oil royalty and 50 per cent of all tax revenues collected in Sarawak,” she said.
On Chong’s statement that the 20 per cent royalty was not promised unconditionally, Soo reminded the PH Sarawak chairman that Sarawak did not set any conditions when Putrajaya used the state’s oil and gas resources for its own development.
“Why should Sarawak, when claiming back 20 per cent of the oil royalty, must come with conditions? (sic) It does not make sense somebody, when claiming their own property or money, has to fulfill certain conditions to get back what actually belongs to them,” she questioned. — DayakDaily
