Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (PN-Kemaman) said the Madani government wouldn’t want to be remembered in the history books or by future generations as having failed to settle the outstanding oil royalty for 2023.

“I urge the prime minister and finance minister (Anwar) to please enlighten us on the rationale behind the federal government’s actions.

“What benefits or objectives do they aim to achieve by imposing such hardship on Terengganu,” Samsuri, who is also the menteri besar, said while debating the king’s speech in the Dewan Rakyat.

Previously, Samsuri told the Terengganu assembly that the state government had yet to receive about RM1 billion in oil royalties for 2023 from Putrajaya.

“About 1.2 million people in Terengganu are hoping that the oil royalty or ‘wang ehsan’ will continue to be paid without delay, in accordance with the schedule followed for decades,” Samsuri said.

Payments of oil royalties to the Terengganu state government are ordinarily made twice a year – in March and September.

Separately, Samsuri urged all parties, whether from the government or opposition, to cease practising politics of vengeance and racial.

“If this vicious cycle is not stopped, it will continue to repeat itself. Therefore, I urge and invite all political leaders to halt this vicious cycle, whether from one side or the other.”