Start of process to claim 20pc oil royalty, - Yong

Kota Kinabalu: SAPP supremo Datuk Yong said his party's political move on Wednesday is an initiation to the process of claiming 20 per cent in oil royalties and recovering Sabah's autonomy, including the return of Labuan island that was federalised in 1984.

"We must make a stand before the window of opportunity closes. The window of opportunity closes by August after which Sabah would be forgotten again.

"The nation's attention would switch to MCA and Umno elections, people will be pre-occupied with the fasting month, Hari Raya, school exams and year end events.

"(Hence), political fatigue in the national mainstream over 'Sabah-Sabah-Sabah' issues would set in," he said, on the reasons for the timing of the no- confidence motion against the PM's leadership.

"The momentum for us to recover our autonomy, get 20 per cent oil royalties and return of Labuan would be lost. Unfair federal laws, excessive taxes and structural imbalances in the economy will remain entrenched," he said.

Yong said Sabah would remain the poorest State subservient to the central leadership and that the Labuan bridge, poverty eradication and rural development would remain elusive.

"Racial politics and wasteful monopolies will continue as usual. The illegal immigrant problems will reach boiling point, grown up street children, illicit drugs and crimes will continue to strike fear among the people," he said, adding that police and law enforcement would remain understaffed and under-resourced.

"In other words, Sabah will lose out badly again. We will not get this window of opportunity for another 50 years, if ever again. In fact, we have now become suspicious of their delaying tactics," he said.

According to him, the people were also suffering from high inflation resulting from the recent astronomical and unexpected fuel price hikes, which was contrary to a BN election promise.

As the fuel prices bring about stagnation in the business sector and unemployment and social problems expected to rise, the responses from the Government seemed ad-hoc, flip-flop and lacking in foresight with a fire-fighting style, he said.

"This is why we have to start insulating ourselves from the external shocks such as oil prices and food crisis. The food and energy crises will last a few years.

"The effects will be around for many more years. If I recall this is worse than the financial crisis of 1997-1998 from which Malaysia took five years to sufficiently recover," he said.

Yong said any hope of a review of the petroleum royalty for the oil producing states of Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu was killed off when a BN Federal Minister declared in Parliament on May 13 that the oil royalty would be maintained at five per cent.

"With our political move today, SAPP hereby initiates the political process to claim 20 per cent in oil royalties, which is after all the natural resource of Sabah.

"With that extra billions, we can invest in agriculture, education, capacity-building and achieve self-sufficiency in many things. We can therefore insulate ourselves from the external shocks or economic tsunami," he said.

Yong denied that SAPP's stand had something to do with him not getting the chance to contest in the recent general election.

"As I told you it is the window of opportunity. We don't want to lose it," he said.

DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
Sabah
20/06/08