Star: Petronas misses point – its ownership and responsibility

“Petronas is irresponsible and misses the point when it acted as if it is the sole custodian of Malaysia’s oil and gas resources.” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, in response to Petronas’ statement that Petronas cannot afford to increase the cash payment to 20% to the oil-producing States as offered by Pakatan Rakyat.

The federal government is also irresponsible in using Petronas as its mouth-piece to reject the claims of the oil-producing states for increases in the cash payment from the current 5%.

The federal government and Petronashas totally ignored the fact that the oil and gas resources belonged to the states, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak, in the first place.  It did not belong to the federal government and definitely not Petronas.

Still keeping mum over SAS fiasco

But investors hope the isssue will be brought up at
today's sitting of the State Legislative Assembly.

KOTA KINABALU: “Just give me back my money. Don’t be irresponsible.” This is what Joseph would like to say to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman if he ever meets him face to face.

The middle-aged father of six has been saying this for years with an air of resignation. But now, there is a faint hope he might get an answer when the State Legislative Assembly begins its sitting to unveil the next state budget.

Joseph is talking about his savings that he invested in the ill-fated Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS) trust fund that was launched by the Barisan Nasional state government in 1994.

Sabah, Sarawak excluded from oil panel?

An opposition MP raises this question in Parliament,
reminding the government Sabah was still one of the
poorest states despite being an oil producer.

KOTA KINABALU: Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui has questioned the exclusion of Sabah and Sarawak in the special committee set up to review the oil royalty for oil and gas producing states.

Chia posed the question during her Budget 2013 debate speech in Parliament recently when enquiring about the progress of the committee that had been quiet ever since Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced its setting up on Aug 22.

She said a review of the 5% oil royalty rate paid to Sabah was 36 years old and it was time it was reviewed since much in the country and the world had changed and the right to extract all oil and gas resources found within Sabah in perpetuity was unreasonable.

Potholes appear in coastal road plan

The premier's plan to build a new coastal road estimated to cost
RM1 billion has been panned by both pro-BN and opposition leaders.

KOTA KINABALU: The government’s plan to develop Sabah is beginning to take on the frantic air of a circus coming to town as the general election looms.

With more Sabahans questioning the snail-paced development of the state in contrast to the rest of the country, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak pledged to “look into” almost any state BN-representative’s proposal.

And one such proposal was to build a spanking new coastal road estimated to cost around RM1 billion to link Tuaran, Kota Marudu and Kudat to the state capital.

Why no party cares about the "bankrupts"?

By Fredoline Edwin Lojingki
PENAMPANG : As a veteran political activist, i wonder why the ruling government has failed to look into the welfare of 250,000 "bankrupts" in Malaysia.

In Sabah alone, there could be at least 30,000 bankrupts, including very young people.

It is very easy to be declared bankrupt in Malaysia and once a bankrupt it is the start of a very difficult years with a lot of limitations on what one could do to reclaim self-esteem.

Many are youngsters who have a lot of opportunities in their future.

40 tahun konflik antara Kerajaan Filipina-MILF tamat, PTI balik kampung cerah- Parti KITA

Ketua Penerangan Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah
Air (KITA) Sabah Mutang Dawat @ Sylvester

TENOM: Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (KITA) Sabah menyambut baik perdamaian konflik antara kerajaan Filipina dengan MILF (Manila Islamic Liberation Front) lebih 40 tahun kini telah berakhir dalam satu rundingan damai baru baru ini.

Ketua Penerangannya Mutang Dawat @ Sylvester berkata demikian dalam satu kenyataan disini pada Selasa ketika mengulas perdamaian itu diFilipina yang disifatkannya sangat positif bagi menamatkan isu kebanjiran pendatang asing tanpa izin (PTI) diSabah.

Perlu tumbangkan BN PRU-13 untuk selesaikan PTI dan kad pengenalan palsu, Dr Chong Eng Leong

Dr Chong Eng Leong

Oleh: Mail Mathew

KEMABONG: Rakyat diseluruh kawasan dinegeri ini digesa agar bertekad untuk menukarkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang ditunjangi UMNO pada pilihanraya umum kali ke-13 (PRU-13) sebagai langkah terbaik menyelesaikan pelbagai masalah yang berisiko tinggi kerana bimbang ianya akan menggugat keselamatan dan kedaulatan negeri dan negara.

Aktivis Politik yang seorang Doktor Pakar Bedah Dr Chong Eng Leong berkata demikian ketika menyampaikan ceramah politiknya didalam program ceramah perdana anjuran Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Cabang Tenom dihadiri kira kira 1,000 orang di Kg Kalibatang pada jumaat lepas.

BN feigning unity in Sabah

Sabah Umno, which already has a giant share of the state
and parliamentary seats, is greedy and wants more.

By Joseph Bingkasan of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: As the countdown to the 13th general election edges towards a fixed date, the ruling coalition is showing signs of strain with bigger parties attempting to muscle in on the turf of their smaller partners.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) joined the queue lobbying to take over candidacy for the Pensiangan MP seat or one of the two state seats – Nabawan and Sook – in the parliamentary constituency.

The problem is, the Pensiangan MP seat is now held by federal Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Joseph Kurup who helms Barisan Nasional coalition partner Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

It is well known that there is little love lost between PBS and PBRS and now the frayed threads that hold the Umno-led ruling coalition are being exposed once again as they always are before an election.

Cambodia’s ex-king Norodom Sihanouk dies in Beijing

Sihanouk had fought a long battle with health problems
that dogged his final years, including cancer,
diabetes, hypertension and heart problems.

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s former king Norodom Sihanouk, whose life mirrored the turbulent history of his nation where he remained a revered figure, died in Beijing today at the age of 89.

Sihanouk, who had been a frequent visitor to China where he received most of his medical treatment, died of a heart attack, according to his longtime personal assistant Prince Sisowath Thomico.

“He was brought to hospital and died shortly after,” he told AFP of the former monarch who abruptly quit the throne in October 2004 in favour of his son, citing old age and health problems.

South Korea shows Malaysia how overseas voting can be done

While the Election Commission (EC) is struggling to make the changes necessary to facilitate overseas voting, South Koreans living in Malaysia are gearing up to vote for their president from abroad for the first time.

At the Korea Day Exhibition in the Sunway Convention Centre, Subang Jaya, that ended yesterday, its embassy officials and volunteers set up a booth to register their citizens as absentee voters.

Overseas election officer Sim Hyun Whoa (left) told Malaysiakini when met at the embassy's booth that the necessary legislative changes were made in 2007, but preparations only started in 2011 in the run-up for the April 2012 general assembly election.