KUCHING: Petronas has agreed to offer the state government ten per cent stake in Malaysia Liquefied Natural Gas Sdn Bhd (MLNG) 4. The offer is a result of the state’s negotiation with Petronas to increase its participation in the oil and gas industry and request for oil royalty increase from the present five per cent to 20 per cent.
This was announced by Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem at a press conference after attending the PBB Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri celebration at a leading hotel here last night.“Petronas has agreed to originally offer us five per cent in MLNG 4 but they have now agreed to increase to ten per cent.
Asked on when MLNG 4 would commence, he said it would start very soon but “not likely this year”. He added that the cost of the state’s stake in MLNG 4 will be calculated but was currently still under negotiation. “But in principle, it is agreed that we have ten per cent,” he reiterated.
Asked by PKR/DAP Sarawak to increase the royalty on oil mined in Sarawak by Petronas the latter, with apparent contempt, “offered” first a five, and then a ten percent “share” in a company to be called MLNG 4. This share will of course have to be paid for by Sarawak. And, KL and BN being what they are, there is no guarantee that there will be any “profits” in which Sarawak can share.
This is a typical BN confidence trick. Asked to increase a royalty they offer a “share” AND go on to say that all this cannot happen now but only at some future, unspecified, date! Meanwhile Sarawak’s oil will continue to be taken by Petronas for a pittance when ALL that money, less operating expenses, should be coming into the State Treasury rather than into BN KL’s pockets
In this the way ‘new’ and ‘reforming’ CM Taibenan tries to make out that there “has been some progress” and “negotiations will continue”, while in reality he is allowing KL to go on stealing Sarawak’s natural resources. Some CM! He has learned his master’s lessons and speaks with his master’s voice.