No need for Sarawak's negotiating team to meet and discuss on state’s oil and gas matters

Recently I have reiterated that there is no need for our negotiating team to meet and discuss on the state’s oil and gas matters, because things are now moving in the right direction in relation to Sarawak’s rights to its oil and gas.

I was interviewed by our local media friends on this matter and said that Sarawak does not go for ‘permintaan gila gila’ (crazy requests) in the spirit of sharing within the Federation of Malaysia. 

Since I am heading the negotiating team which was appointed on June 10 by the Sarawak Consultative Committee on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), I have mentioned that  the good ties between Sarawak and the current Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government has resulted in many positive results including Petronas paying the sales and services tax on petroleum products to Sarawak.

As such, it is best for the executive body, or both state and federal governments, to do the negotiating rather than leaving it to the legislators whose tenure will end soon when the state election is called within the next ‘two to three months’.

Organs of our government comprise of three bodies which is the executive, legislative and judiciary. It is not only the legislative that can be the negotiator, the main ones that manage the government whether the federal or state government are the executive as they are the ones that set the ball rolling.

But I am not saying we push aside totally the legislative. How I see it,  that the Batu Lintang State assemblyman, YB See Chee How or  the Bukit Assek assemblywoma, YB Irene Chang, is that the way they look at things as if the legislative (body) must take over.

Bear in mind that the legislative (body) has its tenure. In two to three months, you are no more legislator once the DUN (State Legislative Assembly) is dissolved. What would happen to the Consultative Committee?

That is why if there is already negotiation which is already going on in the right direction by the executive (body) which comprise of people who are also in the legislative, why not just let it be since things are going in the right direction. We are getting what we want.

Karim, who heads the negotiating team appointed on June 10 by the Sarawak Consultative Committee on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), said the good ties between Sarawak and the current Perikatan Nasional federal government has resulted in many positive results including Petronas paying the sales and services tax on petroleum products to Sarawak.

As such, he said it is best for the executive body, or both state and federal governments, to do the negotiating rather than leaving it to the legislators whose