I agree with veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that the federal government’s full-page advertisements in Malay weeklies on the oil royalty controversy is an insult to the intelligence of all Malaysians.
The full-page advertisements contain an important omission – the reply 35 years ago in Parliament by the then Prime Minister, Tun Razak to my question whether all states in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah had signed agreements with Petronas for oil exploration along the coastline and what were the joint profits for the state.
As recorded in the Parliament Hansard of November 12, 1975, this was Tun Razak’s reply: “All states in Malaysia, except Sabah and Sarawak, have signed the agreement with Petronas under the Petroleum Development Act 1974. I have been informed that Selangor had agreed to sign the agreement.
“Under the agreement, each state will receive 5 per cent of the value of petroleum found and extracted from each of the states, whether onshore or offshore, that is sold by Petronas or agencies or contractors.”
Since I resurrected in Parliament in November last year Tun Razak’s categorical undertaking in Parliament 35 years ago on the five per cent oil royalty rights of the states, Cabinet Ministers had conspicuously avoided the subject – just like the full-page federal government advertisement explanations on Sunday.
Is Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the sixth Prime Minister, the son of Razak the second Prime Minister or the heir of Tun Mahathir, the fourth Prime Minister on the oil royalty controversy?
If Tun Razak is alive today, would he have agreed to the gross violation of the states’ oil royalty rights in blatant breach of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 as initiated by Mahathir in 2000 to politicize the issue and deny the PAS government of Terengganu its rights to the state oil royalties? Or would he have honoured the agreements he assigned Tengku Razaleigh to sign with all the state governments when he was Prime Minister?
There can be no question that on this issue, Tengku Razaleigh is more to be trusted than Mahathir.
Najib should demonstrate that he is Razak’s son or not Mahathir’s heir on this issue to restore justice to the states, whose fundamental state rights have suffered insidious erosion in the past few decades.
#1 by Dap man on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 4:39 pm
UMNO has been fooling and cheating the Malays all these years and it thinks it can continue to do so by buying advertisement space in the Malay dailies.
Why not buy space in Tamil and Chinese dailies but only in Malay dailies? Because Malays are gullible.
The Chinese will tell UMNO to go fly kite. The Indians are neither here nor there.
But are the Malays still that gullible? I doubt it.
#2 by boh-liao on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 4:42 pm
Almost all Umnoputras r pathological liars n tot dat rakyat hv short memories
Keep bullsh!tting d rakyat with lies n more lies
Rakyat r big fat fools too 4 electing Umno B/BN 2 rule d nation
#3 by Godfather on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 5:24 pm
Tengku Razaleigh is calling the UMNO spinmeisters as outright liars – and they still don’t have the balls to expel him. It’s a funny world – being exposed as liars and crooks in the public domain. The next person who should step up and call this government a bunch of liars and crooks is none other than Hassan Marican.
#4 by Bigjoe on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 6:07 pm
UMNO/BN have been insulting the intelligence of Malays and Malaysian for decades. I believed Malays and Malaysian were never fooled just we were just weak and poor and later apathetic because we had other priorities. We were the ones that indulged UMNO/BN and now UMNO/BN is an organisation SPOILT BRATS that need to be spanked and thrown out of the house WE OWN in the first place.
Tell you how spoilt they are. Muhiyiddin took Lim Kit Siang bait about his not supporting 1Malaysia by attacking Sdr. Lim personally BUT NEVER EVEN discuss the issue raised…That is what we have from a UMNO member – don’t have to answer the issue when its hard. Spoilt Brats in other words…
#5 by dagen on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 6:30 pm
Perkasa, some idiots mistakenly believed will revive the now limping and half-dead umnoputras. Actually, it will hasten and I fear, worsen, their death and that of umno.
Umno has a membership of 3m strong. A large number of them are inactive members, that goes without saying. And I believe many amongst them could actually have voted the opposition, particularly PAS and PKR. Nevertheless, outwardly umno has the appearance of size and therefore, strength.
Of course, these attributes are superficial only. Nevertheless, they are enough to make umnoputras look formidable. This is a crucial advantage for them because they are then able to be arrogant and they can also issue all sorts of threats to cow undecided voters into submission during election. After all on the face of it, they certainly come across as speaking on behalf of some 3m people. And more importantly, they at the same time represent the ruling party with the absolute power over the police, the macc and the judiciary. You dont want to mess with them, some might say.
The point is no one knows for sure how big and strong umno’s support base is. You see, the bark of a little dog, even if ferocious sounding, is unlikely to scare a lot of people. So is umno a big doberman or a little chihuahua? No one knows. Really. GE12 could be taken as an indication of umno’s waning support base. It is only an indication.
But perkasa is starting anew. We can gauge with some degree of certainty its real strength. At least, by the end of the day we ought to be able to judge whether perkasa is a doberman or a chihuahua.
My gut feeling, it will soon become clear to all that perkasa is a noisy and annoying chihuahua. The swell in the perkasa movement which its originator hoped to see will be quite small, I am afraid. There are not that many umnoputras about to snowball that movement. And ordinary malays do not necessarily support umnoputras. Certainly, not the young ones. Nor the educated ones. Nor the urban ones. Nor those who benefit little if at all from the umno gobermen’s supposedly ketuanan (whatever it means) policies.
So show us perkasa. Show us what you have got under your pants!
#6 by Loh on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 6:52 pm
///Najib should demonstrate that he is Razak’s son or not Mahathir’s heir on this issue to restore justice to the states, whose fundamental state rights have suffered insidious erosion in the past few decades.///
Naib having witnessed how AAB was ousted by Mamak and being the beneficiary chooses not to be an object for a repeat of Mamak’s action. He is awaiting to celebrate mamak’s departure, like most Malaysians. As Razak’s son he thinks that he has the right to decide how inheritance can be managed. He might have little skill in differentiating between what is his and what belongs to the state.
#7 by yhsiew on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 7:25 pm
Ai-ya, the solution is simple. Come the 13th GE, just put inside PR’s manifesto this statement: If PR is elected as federal government, all states including Sabah and Sarawak, which contribute petroleum to Petronas operation, will be paid 20% oil-royalty.
#8 by monsterball on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 9:51 pm
Razak may not agree with his son..if he is alive..on oil matters..but like father….like son…both are smart to play our anyone they choose….for selfish and personal benefits.
In this sense..both are unreliable leaders.
Razak went against Tunku to bring Mahathir back to UMNO…and what is the result?
In that sense..Razak is very ungrateful man…to Tunku.
Like father …..like son..and Tunku Razaleigh can tell you the true story….if he wants to reveal it.
#9 by good coolie on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 10:11 pm
Whether it is payment under contractual rights, “ex gratia” payment or “wang ehsan”, makes no practical difference. What’s in a name? That which we call money, by any other name would smell sweet.
Shut up and Pay up, Friends!
#10 by HJ Angus on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 10:37 pm
But there are major differences between contractual rights, ex gratia or wang ehsan.
Under the first, there is a legal and contractual obligation to pay whereas the latter two are based on the giver’s sense of generosity.
The federal government is wrong to change the terms of the payments just because PAS controls the state.
Perhaps we should reexamine all the clauses of the federal constitution and the states should claim back what is rightfully theirs … ICJ perhaps?
http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2010/02/malaysiakini-and-playing-dirty-politics.html
#11 by king cobra on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 11:47 pm
HJ Angus ,
put it in plain words “discretion”.
if tat’s the case East Malaysia had a lot to claim back from the federal govt , our contributions of petroleum revenue for the past 45 yrs being used to develop West Malaysia.
#12 by chengho on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 - 11:59 pm
What about Kit son Guan eng?
Zaharin MP said ; guan eng is a dictator ,chauvinist and communist-minded.
TT Beng MP said; guan eng doesn’t even listen to Dap grass root , he should be replaced . guan eng has no standard for Penang.
#13 by monsterball on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 - 4:10 am
This Chengho is simply… full of s..it.
Anwar have just spoken..backing up Lim Guan Eng…he ignored.
And he loves to mind PR businesses…nothing about UMNO or BN.
Nothing about corruptions…nor Najib’s bullshits.
#14 by monsterball on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 - 4:11 am
This Chengho is simply… full of s..it.
Anwar have just spoken..backing up Lim Guan Eng…he ignored.
And he loves to mind PR businesses…nothing about UMNO or BN.
Nothing about corruptions….
#15 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 - 7:12 am
Najib is Razak’s son but he is no Razak’s heir even within his own family. Nazir is younger brother, himself has benefitted greatly from the NEP, called for its abolishment is the rightful heir.
But the rightful heir of Razak and Tunku goes to the likes of Zaid Ibrahim, Khalid Ibrahim, Khalid Samad, These are the neo-heros of the real Malay Agenda.
Those who hold dearly to UMNO including Razaleigh even though its not the original one has lost the spirit of Razak and Tunku. Remember it was Tunku, an original founder of UMNO, who initiated Semangat 46. The sentimentality of holding on to UMNO is misplaced. The future of Malays lies in dynamic change based on fundamentals of rule of laws, constitutional supremacy and institutional checks and balance. Not in superficial labels.
#16 by DCLXVI on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 - 12:55 pm
Zahrain & Tan Tee Beng are just being very unhappy just because Guan Eng doesn’t advocate letting them or any other Pakatan Rakyat politician make some money on the side at the expense of the Penang state government. Anyway, is Guan Eng also being accused here of violating the Petroleum Development Act of 1974?
#17 by Voter get Voters campaign for PR on Wednesday, 24 February 2010 - 5:03 pm
“VOTER GET VOTERS” campaign .
It’s NOW or NEVER
Vote for a BETTER & a FREE Malaysia.
Be an active political activist.
Vote 4 a Goverment bend on eradicating Corruptions,Racisms,Abuse of Human Rights,IS
A Goverment of the People,by the People & for the People.