Abang Johari speaks at the official launching of the Zamalah Wartawan Malaysia in Kuching.
KUCHING: Sarawak is just exercising its rights over the oil and gas (O&G) found in its waters.
Therefore, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg clarified that Sarawak was not demanding.
“It is just a matter of rights. It is not demanding. If it is your house, and you want your house to be fenced up, that is what you want.
“That is not amounting to demand. That is just rights. Then rights can be negotiated,” he told reporters after officiating the Zamalah Wartawan Malaysia organized by the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) here today.
He said this when asked to comment of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad’s hope that Sarawak government would not be too demanding with regards to oil royalty to the state.
Sarawak has asked that the oil royalty of five per cent from the federal government be increased to 20 per cent as part of state special rights as enshrined under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Abang Johari also said he was not aware that the Prime Minister had rejected the Sarawak government’s offer of RM1 billion to the federal government.
He said he has not heard of any rejection from Tun Mahathir, adding that if there is, surely there is a letter; but there is no letter.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that the state had borrowed money from the federal government as loan and the repayment is made based on schedule.
“There is a schedule for us to pay back the loan. The loan is just like you loan money from the bank to own a car.
“As far as Sarawak is concerned, there is no default in payment. All our payments were on time,” he said.
He, however, could not tell the exact amount of loan they have with the federal government, saying he would find out.
The Sarawak government had offered RM1 billion as a loan to the federal government for the latter to rebuild dilapidated schools in the state.
However, the federal government had reportedly rejected the loan.
“I think they (state government) wanted to lend it to us, but the state government also owes money to us.
“We would just prefer if they just pay the money they are owing us. They have a lot of money and the budget for Sarawak is the biggest in Malaysia, RM11 billion (next year),” Dr Mahathir was reported as saying.