New movement demands 70% oil royalty for Sabah and Sarawak

By Ezra Haganez

KOTA KINABALU: A new citizen movement has demanded that oil royalty for Sabah should be at least 70 percent and not below to compensate the losses Sabahans incurred under a mere 5% royalty all these years.

Oil for Future Movement (OFF) chairman, Phillip Among, said on top of that oil royalty for Sabah must be backdated to 1976 and a statutory 8 percent interest per annum should be paid.

He said political parties, especially those from Sabah should insist on 70 percent oil royalty for the state and not just 25% or 30% as some of them have been demanding.

"This one-sided oil agreement evidently signed under extreme duress in 1976 between the federal government/Petronas and the Sabah and Sarawak state governments has come under increasing public scrutiny, and we have lost huge opportunities not only on oil royalty but other related businesses and hence we are the poorest today in Malaysia. We must be compensated," Among said in a statement here today.

According to Among the two states at present get only five percent royalty for oil and gas produced in the inner waters where the number of wells are comparatively fewer and increasingly drying, if not dried out, and none for the outer waters.

He said what the opposition alliance, Pakatan Rakyat, has publicly pledged that it would increase the oil royalty to 20 percent if it seizes the reins of power in Putrajaya, is not enough. "We want more and we demand they listen to us now," he said adding that his NGO is organising talks on oil and gas in every opportunity.

He said he would organise forums and seminars on it involving the youngsters including university students who are interested to fight for their generation and the next.

Among also called on the PR to elaborate on its royalty structure pledged to Sabah and Sarawak as so far it did not clarify whether the 20 percent pledge covers the outer waters.

"It’s unlikely that the Peninsular Malaysia-based national opposition coalition will agree to fork out royalty for the outer waters. This means the Pakatan pledge is as good as meaningless, more hype than substance just to win more votes from here. They should offer more..." said Among.

Among also hinted that if its demands is not heard, he would lead an initiative to bring the issue of oil and gas resources of Sabah and Sarawak before the United Nation Security Council via here a global energy security protocol, for a determination by the international community.

"The Malaysian Government is not transparent on oil money derived from any waters in Malaysia including from Sabah and Sarawak, and we do not know where these money are being spent onto whereas we remain the poorest in Malaysia now. We need to know and we need to demand after all it is our rights to do so," he said.