There is something to be said about the use of figures in politics.
In terms of allocations, the “billions and millions” are where it’s at.
For some, the percentages matter when it comes to dividing up spoils.
The prevailing opinion in Sarawak when it comes to oil and gas ownership is that 100 per cent of all the oil and gas products belong to the state – this is what the people think.
However, being in a federation, there is a responsibility for states to contribute to the federal government to ensure the economic standing of the nation.
That being said, I don’t think settling for a mere five per cent in oil royalty is considered fair.
That is how it has been for donkey’s years – until we clawed back a larger share through the imposition of the State Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum products in 2019.
This worked.
What didn’t work, however, was the clamouring for a 20 per cent oil royalty to Sarawak before that.
That was the promise by Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak for the 2018 General Election.
One particular PH Sarawak leader unashamedly gloated in the Sarawak assembly sitting, saying: “You don’t need to beg”, implying that this 20 per cent oil royalty along with 50 per cent of taxes collected by Putrajaya would be returned to Sarawak, no strings attached.
Unfortunately, there were strings attached.
They were made to look like fools when their prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the 20 per cent oil royalty was “really not workable”.
Suddenly, there were “legacy issues” from PH 1.0’s predecessor that prevented the implementation of the oil royalty promise which was part of the coalition’s manifesto.
“The previous government caused an enormous amount of funds to be wasted or put Malaysia in trouble.
“This has posed a challenge for us in implementing our promises,” said then-finance minister Lim Guan Eng.
Suddenly, it was the fault of the Sarawak government for not assuming full autonomy in education and healthcare funding in the state which caused the deal to collapse.
Suddenly, it was as if the Sarawak government were holding all the cards, and not Mahathir or Guan Eng or anyone else – and it chose poorly, sticking with wanting to maintain federal funding for hospitals and schools instead of fending for itself.
What kind of snake oil salesman shenanigan is this?
Luckily, they went out of business for a few years.
However, now there is this so-called “new deal”.
Amid the tussle between PETRONAS and PETROS for gas distribution rights, which has escalated to a confrontation between Sarawak and the federal government, the Sarawak DAP has suggested that Sarawak take a 30 per cent stake in PETRONAS.
However, the idea appears to be dead on arrival.
You know it’s bad when even your party leaders are hesitant to say it, leaving the youth (read: kids) to do the talking.
It is as if they are using them as cannon fodder to see whether it gains any traction.
If it does – then it’s good, but if it doesn’t – then it’s fine.
But if it gets negative feedback and the party gets into hot soup over the idea, then you can blame it on the ‘kids’ and throw them under the bus. Probably the oldest trick in the book.
You see, here is the problem with just 30 per cent – the argument would be why are you settling for 30 per cent in PETRONAS when you can control 100 per cent of the resources through PETROS?
The issue is no longer about stakes or percentages, but rather about asserting control of the resources – namely gas resources, with Sarawak’s claim being reinforced through the state’s law, essentially forcing Putrajaya’s hands.
Saying that we should just forget about everything that has happened, and now, probably spend a huge chunk of our own money to buy a portion of PETRONAS, to assert control of resources that we already own, is probably not the smartest play.
Or was the thinking all along by Sarawak DAP that Putrajaya would give up the 30 per cent PETRONAS stake for free if we asked them nicely?
That’s probably wishful thinking.
If they wanted GPS to support the idea, they should first get their party MPs on board.
But the question is, are they on board? Will you get them on board?
Or will this be a familiar case of GPS doing all the work and others doing all the criticising and punditry?
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Sarawak Tribune.
