KOTA KINABALU – Datuk Darell Leiking has hit back at Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Masing for accusing the previous Parti Warisan Sabah-led state government of being “scared” of demanding oil and gas rights from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The party’s Penampang MP questioned how Masing was able to arrive at such a conclusion when he was not part of the federal-level Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) talks held when Dr Mahathir was in power.
“It was also interesting for Masing to be able to come up with such comments, when he himself was part of ruling parties for so many years during the previous Barisan Nasional regime, but never made effort to realise any of the rights of East Malaysian states,” Leiking, who was part of Dr Mahathir’s cabinet, told The Vibes.
MA63 saw Sabah and Sarawak agree to conditions to form Malaysia together with the federation of Malaya in 1963. Over the years, many of the deal’s terms were left unfulfilled, or were taken away by Putrajaya.
This has triggered widespread resentment among Borneo folk, who accuse the federal government of failing to honour the agreement.
Under the Pakatan Harapan administration led by Dr Mahathir, 17 of the 21 Sabah rights demands were resolved following the establishment of a government-to-government committee.
However, talks on oil and gas were held directly between the Sabah and Sarawak chief ministers, and the prime minister.
Leiking said then chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had his own way of dealing with Putrajaya on such matters.
This was why the Warisan president declined Sarawak’s invitation to jointly sue Petronas over the national oil company’s refusal to pay a 5% sales tax on petroleum products to the latter state, he said.
He said Sarawak’s victory over Petronas is a landmark court decision, therefore, there is no need for Sabah to take the company to court over its refusal to pay the sales tax.
Masing has described leaders in the previous Sabah administration as being “scared” of bringing up the state’s oil and gas rights to Dr Mahathir.
He made the remark following Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan’s statement that the state needs to strike a commercial deal with Petronas, similar to what Sarawak did as part of a settlement over the sales tax.
Unlike Sarawak, Sabah was only able to impose the tax on oil companies in April, after it amended state laws to allow for the tax’s introduction. – The Vibes, December 9, 2020
