Democratic Action Party (DAP) assemblyman Voon Lee Shan said politicians and political parties in Sabah and Sarawak should demand for full oil revenue. He disagreed that the demand for oil royalty for the two states be increased to just 20 per cent. In a press statement yesterday, Voon, who is also state DAP treasurer general regretted that Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) requested a 20 per cent royalty.
“If all political parties and politicians from Sabah and Sarawak could work together to negotiate and demand our oil rights back, there is no reason the federal government would not concede to our demand,” said Voon. This, he said was because in every parliamentary election, both states contributed to about one-third of all seats won by Barisan Nasional (BN).
He pointed out that both states contributed two-thirds of the country’s oil revenue, but only got a paltry five per cent of the revenue. Voon said the oil revenues from Sabah and Sarawak should not be used ‘to save sick government-linked companies (GLC)’, but be used as medical funds for the people of the two states suffering from chronic diseases and for pension funds for senior citizens.
The government should have the political courage to compare local fuel prices with oil producing countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America, and not with non-oil producing countries, he said. He claimed the prices of petrol in Kuwait was only 67 sen a litre, Egypt RM1.03 per litre, Saudi Arabia 38 sen, Nigeria 32 sen and Venezuela 16 sen, while petrol in the country had rocketed to RM2.70 per litre. Prices of petrol in Brunei, an oil producing country, was only RM1.24 per litre, he noted.
“If all political parties and politicians from Sabah and Sarawak could work together to negotiate and demand our oil rights back, there is no reason the federal government would not concede to our demand,” said Voon. This, he said was because in every parliamentary election, both states contributed to about one-third of all seats won by Barisan Nasional (BN).
He pointed out that both states contributed two-thirds of the country’s oil revenue, but only got a paltry five per cent of the revenue. Voon said the oil revenues from Sabah and Sarawak should not be used ‘to save sick government-linked companies (GLC)’, but be used as medical funds for the people of the two states suffering from chronic diseases and for pension funds for senior citizens.
The government should have the political courage to compare local fuel prices with oil producing countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America, and not with non-oil producing countries, he said. He claimed the prices of petrol in Kuwait was only 67 sen a litre, Egypt RM1.03 per litre, Saudi Arabia 38 sen, Nigeria 32 sen and Venezuela 16 sen, while petrol in the country had rocketed to RM2.70 per litre. Prices of petrol in Brunei, an oil producing country, was only RM1.24 per litre, he noted.
