“What we’ve spelled out in the manifesto, our 20% oil royalty, we’ll pursue it,” the Parti Warisan Sabah president said on the sidelines of an event here today.
Shafie had said on April 27, while launching the party’s 13-point manifesto, that Warisan would ensure the oil royalty due to the state increased from the current 5% to at least 20% if it won the state in the polls.
The party had described the present royalty rate as an injustice suffered by both Sabah and Sarawak, saying that the Borneon states had been deprived of what was rightfully theirs under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Warisan had also called for Sabah to be allowed to manage oil and gas resources in its territory.
National oil company Petronas recently filed for a court application to declare its exclusive ownership of the country’s petroleum resources.
Shafie said neither the oil royalty issue nor the Petronas move was discussed at a meeting held between Sabah government leaders and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the finance ministry’s headquarters in Putrajaya earlier today.
He also said he had submitted several names from Sabah to Mahathir for federal Cabinet appointments.
He said names were given for ministerial and deputy ministerial posts, but declined to reveal details.
“I don’t want to spell out the numbers. That is the prerogative of the PM,” he said.
Speculation is rife that Warisan deputy president Darrell Leiking and Warisan Youth chief Azis Jamman are set to be included in the Cabinet.
Of the 13 ministers under Mahathir sworn in on May 21, none were from Sabah and Sarawak.
Shafie also announced a RM500 Hari Raya bonus for all state civil servants, to be paid out before Hari Raya.
On former chief minister Musa Aman’s originating summons against him and Sabah governor Juhar Mahiruddin, Shafie said “it was up to him to do whatever he wanted to do”.
Musa, who was previously also Sabah Umno chairman, is seeking a declaration, among others, that he remained the lawful chief minister of Sabah, and that the “purported swearing-in” of Shafie as chief minister on May 12 by Juhar was unconstitutional.
Musa is also seeking a declaration that all acts by Shafie, while being the chief minister, are null, void and of no effect.
Warisan: End injustice to Sabah, Sarawak over oil and gas rights