KOTA KINABALU: Elected representatives in Sabah must emulate their counterparts in Sarawak irrespective of whether they are in Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) in terms of speaking in ‘one voice’ when championing issues affecting the people.
Api Api assemblywoman Christina Liew pointed out that the ‘unity’ of the elected representatives in Sarawak was reflected in how the Sarawak State Assembly sitting last month approved a special motion to seek royalty from the state’s oil and gas revenue to be increased from five per cent to 20 per cent.
“All the wakil rakyat whether they are from the opposition or the government spoke in one voice in the state assembly. We have to emulate this,” she said when asked to comment on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement that the federal government is willing to consider the request by the Sarawak state government for higher gas and oil royalty.
“I welcome the statement by Najib to consider and to approve eventually I hope, the oil royalty increment for Sarawak because this is what Pakatan Rakyat has been championing and calling for. It is even included in our manifesto for the 13th general election, that if we become government we will increase the oil and gas royalty to 20 per cent. I am glad to see that the BN government is now following our manifesto,” she said.
Encouraged by this positive development, Liew who is also Sabah PKR deputy chief, said that she will be tabling a similar motion in the next Sabah State Assembly which is scheduled to be held in July.
“I will propose in the coming Sabah state assembly and hope that all the wakil rakyat will support. Then we will present it to the PM (because) if he approved for Sarawak, then he should (do the same) for Sabah too,” she said.
Liew added, “whether you are BN or Pakatan Rakyat, we all must support this request and speak in one voice just like what Sarawak did. There are so many things the Sarawak government has done for the people that we have to learn from.”
She also urged Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to quickly apply to the federal government for the increment of the oil royalty just like what the Sarawak state assembly has done.
“I also urge Musa to emulate the first step of the Sarawak Chief Minister who announced the approval of 2,000 hectares of land to the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Committee,” she said.