'PKR will make Petronas accountable'

Published on: Sunday, October 25, 2009

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Kota Kinabalu:
Sabah's wealth will be returned to the State and her people if Parti
Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) comes to power in the next general elections. PKR Supreme Council member, Datuk Seri Chua Jui Meng, said this was one of the pledges in the party's manifesto for Sabah. "Parti Adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told me that 20pc of the
revenue from petroleum and gas in Sabah will be given back to Sabah as
one of the ways to eradicate poverty. "Sabah is rich in natural resources but why does stark poverty still
occur among the people? Tak masuk akal (not logical). Presently, only
5pc oil royalty is given to Sabah. Is this fair? "I want to tell you all that Anwar made a solemn promise that if he
became Prime Minister, all Petronas finances and resources must be
reported to the Parliament," he said at the Malam Keadilan Bersama
Rakyat gathering. About 1,000 people attended the dinner at Ocean Seafood Village, hosted
by PKR Kota Kinabalu Division headed by Christina Liew. Chua, who is the former Health Minister, said it was also stated in the
manifesto that federal posts, government-linked company (GLC) posts and
ambassadorial positions will be increased for Borneo. The PKR Supreme Council member drew the audience's attention to the
question raised by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad a few
months ago. "Dr Mahathir had asked what happened to the money given to the Federal
Government by Petronas over the last five or six years. It was reported
that Petronas given a total of RM156 billion to the Government as
taxes. Until today, there is not one single reply to his question. "However, Dr Mahathir forgot to ask how much royalty was given to the
Federal Government in the 22 years when he was Prime Minister of
Malaysia. "Even when I was in the Federal Cabinet for nine years, we never saw the accounts of Petronas," he claimed. According to Chua, at the time of Malaya's independence in 1957, the
per capita income of Malayans was about the same as that of Singapore. "Today, despite the fact that Singapore has got no natural resources
vis-Æ-vis Malaysia as a blessed nation, the per capita income of
Singaporeans is 500pc more than Malaysians. "Do you know what Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew said? In explaining the
500pc difference, he had said that you can criticise my government but
you can never criticise my government that it is a corrupt government. "Similarly, Taiwan like Singapore has no natural resources but the per
capita income of the people of Taiwan and South Korea is 250pc higher
than that of Malaysians," he contended. Chua said it is, therefore, wrong to say that corruption has no impact
on our lives. "On the contrary, corruption affects everyone whether you
are from Sabah or Johor where I am from. Don't think that you are still
the same or you still make money or your family still has food on the
table. "The glaring difference in the per capita income of Malaysians
indicates that there is a direct relationship between corruption and
the people of Malaysia." Echoing what Anwar had previously said, Chua stressed that if PKR comes
into power, it will be ketuanan orang Malaysia (Malaysian supremacy). Before joining PKR, Chua said he asked Anwar what his vision was, and whether they had the same vision. "I said, 'How do I know you are not still an Umnoputra at heart?' His
answer was simple: 'Jui Meng, I have been in prison for six years. When you are in prison, you are humbled and understand what the rakyat
is feeling.' Six years in solitary confinementÉlots of time to ponder."
From the New Economic Policy (DEB) perspective, Chua queried as to why
many Bumiputeras in Sabah remain poor if DEB truly protects the
interests of Bumiputeras. "Going by the poverty rate of 25pc, Sabah is the poorest in Malaysia. Likewise, why are the Malay states in the Peninsula - Kelantan,
Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah - among the poorer states in Malaysia? This is due to exploitation of DEB by Umno to deceive the Bumiputeras in Malaysia," he alleged. On Malaysia Day (Sept 16) being declared a national holiday by the
Prime Minister, Chua thanked the latter for validating and conforming
to PKR's manifesto for the people of Sabah. "This issue is raised in our manifesto. They say copying is the best form of flattery," he said to applause. In concluding, he said today's politics must change to become the
politics of integrity and honesty, and politics that is pro-peoples of
Malaysia, pro-Sabahans and Sarawakians. "This is my wish, no other. Reformasi Sabah, Reformasi Malaysia." Meanwhile, Chua received 200 membership application forms from new
party members, witnessed by Liew, PKR Vice-President Datuk Dr Jeffrey
Kitingan, PKR Supreme Council member Datuk John Ghani and PKR Sabah
deputy chairman Datuk Kong Hong Ming. Also present were former PBS Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ariah Tengku
Ahmad, PKR Adviser in Sarawak Datuk Michael Bong and corporate figure
Dato' David Yeoh Eng Hock from Kuala Lumpur. Dr Jeffrey, who also spoke, said now that the Federal Government
recognised September 16 as the National Day for Malaysia, it should
also give due recognition to the 20-Point Agreement which forms the
basis for the independence of Sabah and Sarawak through the formation
of Malaysia. "Please recognise our rights too by reviewing and reactivating the Inter-Governmental Committee Report," he said. PKR KK Division Chief Christina Liew urged the people of Sabah to give
the party a chance to form the government in the next State elections. "When we are in power, we will try to fulfil the pledges in our
manifesto but if we fail to deliver the goods, the people can remove us
from power through the ballot box in the next round of elections," she
said. On Malaysia's status in the Global Corruption Index, she noted that the
country now lies in the 47th position among the most corrupted
countries in the world.