KUCHING, Oct 7, 2014: Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen today
urged the State Government to take a further stronger action to compel the
Federal Government to give effect to the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly's
resolution calling for an increase in the oil and gas royalties.
He said the State Government should not sit back and wait
in vain for an answer or be pushed around.
Chong (picture), who is also Sarawak DAP chairman, is bitterly
disappointed that his questions on oil and gas contract agreements were
rejected by Parliamentary Speaker Amin Mulia without justification in
Parliament this morning.
He submitted the questions for Prime Minister Najib Razak
for oral answers during Question and Answer session in parliament, but the Speaker
shot down the questions on grounds that a related matter has been referred to
court and thus, sub-judice.
Chong had wanted Najib to state the terms and conditions
of the Production Sharing Contracts between PETRONAS and the other signatories
to the PSC, especially relating to the apportioning of profits from oil and gas
extracted from Sarawak.
He also asked whether the Federal Government has any
intention to increase the oil and gas royalties payable to the Sarawak State Government.
In a press statement, Chong said:"When I rose in
Parliament to seek clarification with the Speaker on such ruling, he informed
the House that the related matter that has been referred to Court in respect of
a case filed by the Kelantan Government against PETRONAS and the Federal
Government of Malaysia."
"Such reason is utterly unacceptable because my
questions related to the increase of oil
and gas royalty payable to Sarawak while the case cited to reject my question
is a case between the Kelantan Government and PETRONAS and the Federal
Government in relation to payment of oil and gas royalties to Kelantan
Government.
"I have submitted similar questions to the
Parliament in the previous June sitting, but were given answers that beat around the bush without
directly answering to my questions.
"At least, then, there were some answers to my
question. This time, when I pressed for
further answers, my questions were totally rejected," he said.
He added:"This is clearly indicative of the Federal
Government’s intention to delay and evade questions on demands for the increase in oil
and gas royalties payable to Sarawak
from 5% to 20%.
"But the Federal Government has even gone to the
extent of disallowing such question to be asked in Parliament," he
complained.
Chong said that
the Sarawak State Government must now realise that the Federal Government has
no intention to increase the Sarawak’s oil and gas royalties rights from the
present 5% to 20% as was resolved unanimously in the Sarawak State Legislative
Assembly in May, 2014.
He said six months have passed since the historic
resolution was passed in the assembly, calling for the increase in Sarawak’s
oil and gas royalties to 20%.
"Yet, not a single indicative word on this matter
has come out from the Federal Government.
Now, this matter is not even allowed to be discussed in
Parliament," he said.
He pointed out that the case between Kelantan State
Government and Federal Government was filed in year 2010 and the case will
continue for at least another 10 years.
"By disallowing the matter to be brought up in
Parliament on the ground of the existence of the case would mean that this
matter will not be allowed to be discussed in Parliament for another at least
10 years," he said, adding:"Even then, we will still be kept hanging
in the air. This puts the Sarawak State
Assembly's resolution to ridicule," he said.
The resolution was unanimously supported by the Barisan
Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen in May this year.
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