KUCHING: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan has questioned Chong Chieng Jen’s efforts in reclaiming Sarawak’s oil and gas rights, saying the Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader has not taken sufficient action to fulfill past election promises.
Voon pointed out that Chong and Pakatan Harapan (PH) had campaigned in the 14th General Election on the promise of a 20 per cent oil and gas royalty and 50 per cent of tax revenue for Sarawak.
According to Voon, PH had pledged that even if Petronas cannot afford to pay the 20 per cent royalty, the federal government will top up the amount of 20 per cent royalty.
“Where is this 20 per cent royalty and the 50 per cent tax revenue for Sarawak that DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Pakatan Harapan had promised. What has Chong Chieng Jen done about this?” Voon said.
He further questioned why Chong, who is a senior leader in DAP and part of the ruling federal coalition, had not pushed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to repeal the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA74), which placed control of Malaysia’s petroleum resources under Petronas.
“His boss is none other than the Prime Minister, and he should tell him to repeal PDA74 in Parliament. Had he and DAP done so?” he said.
Voon also took aim at Chong’s previous tenure as Deputy Minister, saying that despite holding a federal position, he had not taken concrete steps to address Sarawak’s oil and gas rights.
“Chong Chieng Jen had been a Deputy Minister, but had he moved to repeal PDA74? Impliedly, with his inaction or inability to solve the problem, could this not be seen as a compromise of his and DAP’s stand that oil should continue to be in the hands of Petronas,” he added.
He also questioned whether Chong and his party had pushed for the repeal of other laws affecting Sarawak’s territorial rights, such as the Territorial Sea Act 2012 (TSA 2012) and the Continental Shelf Act 1966 (CSA 1966).
He stressed that Sarawak had lost substantial oil and gas revenues due to PDA74, estimating that the state loses over a hundred billion ringgit annually while receiving less than five billion ringgit in return through federal allocations.
“The issue of Sarawak’s oil and gas rights has been left unresolved for too long. Instead of just talking, why has Chong Chieng Jen not taken any action in parliament?” he questioned.
Voon urged both Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to work together in repealing PDA74, stressing that PBK remains committed to fighting for Sarawak’s rights over its natural resources.
“The stand of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) is that we want all our marine wealth, sea territories, oil, and gas resources to be given back to Sarawak and Sabah,” he added.
