Rahman Dahlan bashes LGE: 20% oil royalties would cover all Sarawak debts


  • Nation
  • Wednesday, 24 Jul 2019

Malaysia is on track to fully restore its fiscal health by 2021 as open competitive tenders and zero-based budgeting help bolster government finances, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng says in emailed statement.

KOTA KINABALU: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng should first keep the Pakatan Harapan election promise of giving 20% oil royalties to the eastern states of Malaysia before asking Sarawak to repay its loans, says an Umno supreme council member.

Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said this following a statement by Lim that the Federal Government was ready to extend RM350mil to the Sarawak government for school repairs if it first paid back loans of the same amount to Putrajaya.

“It is arrogant of (Lim) Guan Eng to ask Sarawak to pay up before he can give the allocation for dilapidated schools in Sarawak.

“In the first year of Guan Eng as the Finance Minister, he took RM82bil from Petronas. I am sure most of that came from Petronas profits in Sarawak’s coast.

“Recalling the DAP national retreat programme before the 14th General Election (GE14), he announced after the retreat that if PH won GE14, they would be fair to Sabah and Sarawak which they claimed had been marginalised (dianaktirikan) by Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Guan Eng even publicly said he agreed to Sabah and Sarawak getting the 20% oil royalties,” he posted on his official Facebook account, referring to the promised increase from the current 5%.

Rahman said that according to a report by The Edge Markets on July 26 last year, the 5% oil royalties for Sarawak was worth RM1.58bil, which means the additional 15% promised would amount to RM4.74bil.

In the case of Sabah, their 5% oil royalty amounted to RM1.32bil, so an additional 15% would be RM3.96bil.

“Therefore there's no need for Guan Eng to ask Sarawak to clear its debts first; the same goes with Sabah.

“As Finance Minister, (he should) keep his promise first to pay the additional 15% or RM4.74bil to Sarawak,” he said.

Rahman added that the money would be enough not only to repair dilapidated schools but also completely settle Sarawak's debts to the Federal Government.

Get 30% off with our ads free Premium Plan!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month
RM9.73 only

Billed as RM9.73 for the 1st month then RM13.90 thereafters.

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month
RM8.63/month

Billed as RM103.60 for the 1st year then RM148 thereafters.

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Nation

Maqis hands over five tonnes of seized frozen chicken to Zoo Negara
Trump's defence sec nominee fails to name any Asean member country
Abang Jo: Petronas-Petros resolution paves way to make Sarawak and Malaysia an energy hub
Fuel prices Jan 16-22: RON97 and diesel up 5sen, RON95 unchanged
Sarawak govt urged to address Rajang River overflow
Anti-drug agency officials charged with false claims totalling RM138,570
799 flood-prone areas identified in Sabah
New on-call shift system will affect incomes of public medical officers, specialist, says MMA
Warisan criticises state minister over Sabah’s flood mitigation plan remarks
Companies encouraged to hire 3 interns for every expat, says HR Ministry

Others Also Read