Consider feelings of Sabahans over oil royalty agreement, PM urged

KOTA KINABALU: Kemabong assemblyman Jamawi Jaafar has urged Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to consider the feelings of the people of Sabah concerning the oil royalty agreement.

He said that the issue of oil agreement between the Sabah government and the federal government in 1976 which provides only five percent of the royalty to the Sabah government as an oil producing state can be likened to the price of RM0.03 for 1,000 gallons of water sold to Singapore, which Dr Mahathir himself also disapproved aof.

“Since he (Mahathir) began his tenure as the Prime Minister, he has often brought up the price of the water sold to Singapore which remained unchanged since 1962.

“Tun, in his statement in the media recently, said that the price of three sen for 1,000 gallons does not make sense and must be studied again and he is ready to bring the matter to the international court,” he said.

Jamawi, who is also the chairman of the Sabah Supporters Club, said that Singapore had been exploiting Malaysia’s water.

He also said that he understood and supported what was being voiced by Tun Mahathir and hoped that the Prime Minister understood the feelings of the people of Sabah with regard to the oil agreement issue between the state and the federal government prior to this.

“The five percent value also does not make sense in the present time as the state government, through Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is demanding that at least 20 percent in oil royalty is given to the state,” he said in his media statement yesterday.

Jamawi added that the demand of 20 percent by the state government was reasonable and it was to provide the basic infrastructure to the people of Sabah which must be implemented by the state government.

“We hope the federal government will take the demand seriously and that any rights under the MA63 must be returned to the state so that the resources of Sabah can be enjoyed by the people of Sabah,” he said.