KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should be getting ‘a fat’ oil royalty from the federal government to help the State Government in providing basic infrastructure not only in the rural but also in the suburban areas.
Expressing support for the call to increase oil royalty, Sabah PKR Youth chief Mohd Serman Hassnar said since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Sabah has only been getting 5 per cent from its petroleum revenue.
This meagre oil royalty has partly caused Sabah to be one of the poorest states with a high percentage of poverty in Malaysia, he said when commenting on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman’s statement that he believed the oil royalty issue is open for amicable discussions with the Federal Government.
“We have been waiting for so long to have what we deserve as petroleum producer. We cannot take the lip service for granted because at end of the day, the people will have to suffer, while those in high position will become rich.
“It is an embarrassment for the people of Sabah, living in one of the richest states but most of its roads are in bad condition, while some of them are of low quality, no electricity, no clean water, schools with not enough teachers, classrooms with not enough chairs and tables… well all these hardship of living is in Sabah,” he said.
Mohd Serman said even former Petronas chairman, Tengku Razaliegh Hamzah had said when launching Angkatan Amanah Sabah here that the State Government should listen to the request of the people who have been pressing for an increase in oil royalty.
“To increase oil royalty (to 20 percent) for Sabah will be one of the best solutions to find funds to seal all roads from east to west, from north to south, from district to district, from village to village throughout the State. We need to have increased oil royalty to ensure every single genuine citizen of Sabah will benefit from it,” he said.