TAWAU: Kalabakan MP Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh, supports fully the proposal that the federal government should pay a higher oil royalty to the state, as demanded by some parties.
Ghapur, who is also Kalabakan Umno division chief, said the increase in royalty payments would allow more developments to take place mainly for the rural areas in the state.
“If we look at the roads in Peninsular Malaysia, you can see the roads linking the states are built beautifully and comfortable. But in Sabah, there are still villages that are cut off from one another due to the absence of roads,” he said yesterday.
“We believe that when the federal government pays a higher oil royalty to Sabah, the money can be used to boost the development of the state, especially in rural areas,” he said.
Ghapur said, while the opposition parties are also seen to be speaking out on the issue of oil royalty, it is to be understood that the claim is the aspiration of the people of Sabah who want to see the state continue to be developed.
For the record, Sabah is the third largest oil producing state after Terengganu and Sarawak.