PUTRAJAYA: A Sabah Barisan Nasional component party is unhappy with the Federal Government’s decision to give Petronas the go-ahead to build a gas pipeline.Its president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok plans to bring this matter up with the Cabinet on Friday.Dompok, who is United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president said the party is unhappy with the decision, claiming that a majority of Sabahans are unhappy too.
As he sits in at Cabinet meetings in his capacity as the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Dompok said he would raise the issue with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Friday.“I don’t see how the project will benefit Sabahans except for the landowners whose property are bought over to make way for the gas pipes.
“Sabah is an oil and gas producing state but there is no related activity whatsoever; there is no refinery, no university and no petrochemical or other related industry.“The industry is good for the state’s economy which is overly dependent on oil palm plantation and tourism.
We need to be more diverse. Oil and gas is right before us and we should capitalise on it,” he told reporters Tuesday after launching the Education Services Commission website.On Nov 1, Abdullah confirmed that the Petronas gas pipeline from Sabah to Sarawak would go on, despite an earlier decision to scrap it.The 500km pipeline from Kimanis to Bintulu, worth RM1.5bil is expected to be operational in 2011.Asked if he would be getting support from the Sabah government to “fight” this issue, Dompok said: “There is no support from the state government. As for my colleagues from other parties in Sabah, they should know what to do.“Even though this matter has been decided upon, I will still bring it up with the Cabinet again,” he said of the project.
Bernard Dompok is equally guilty of trying to be the champion of Sabah by exploiting this situation by dumping the Petronas factor on the PM shoulder.
ReplyDeleteOrdinary people of Kimanis or Sabah for that matter, will not benefit directly or indirectly from the Gas Terminal complex that are to be built in Kimanis. At most only few hundred experts and professionals will be employed, a majority of whom will be foreigners and west Malaysians.
In any case, it remains the desire of all Sabahan and the Sabahan leaders in the federal Government to increase royalty from 5 pc to 25 pc. Such a desire is very simple to accomplish.
Based on the figure laid out by SAPP or Sabah PKR , all Bernard Dompok has to do is to get his UPKO MPs to simply move a motion calling upon the Federal Government to increase the royalty.
I bet, the motion would get full support from Sabahan MPs. Out of certain interest, the motion would definately get the support from the rest of the Pakatan Rakyat ( PR) MPs. If such motion move, surely the federal Government would have no choice but to take serious notice and action to increase the royalty.
thanks ronney,
ReplyDeleteIt is rather sad that it has to come to this way.