Dalam lapuran AP dan Star di bawah ini jelaslah Rais Yatim telah membakar semua sijil PhDnya. Dulu dia mengatakan perjanjian Petronas itu sebagai MOU sedangkan tiada sepatah pun perkataan MOU dalam perjanjian itu.

Semalam kerajaan pusat mengistiharkan perjanjian 1975 itu dibatalkan. Rais memberi alasan Petroleum Development Act 1974 dan the Continental Shelf Act 1966. Katanya Terengganu tidak layak menerima royalti kerana sumber ditemui melebihi 3 batu nautika dari pantai. Dia juga menyatakan berdasarkan Petroleum Development Act 1974, semua kerajaan negeri memberikan hak melombong secara otomatik kepada kerajaan pusat melalui Petronas - termasuk dalam kawasan pantainya atau di atas daratan.

Sayang sungguh Rais buta sejarah - mungkin dia sendiri sudah membakar semua buku sejarah dan perjanjian yang ada. Rais sebenarnya telah menjatuhkan maruah dirinya sendiri. Secara tidak langsung tindakkan beliau itu menyanggah Tengku Razaleigh yang pernah menurunkan tanda tangan merestui perjanjian itu.

LOGIK MUDAH TIDAK PERLU SIJIL PhD

Kita perlu bertanya mengapakan perjanjian itu ditanda-tangani oleh kerajaan negeri dengan Petronas. Tidakkah itu bermakna kerajaan negerilah TUAN PUNYA itu. Jika kawasan minyak itu memang milik pusat, kerajaan pusat lah yang perlu menanda tangani sebarang perjanjian, bukannya kerajaan negeri. Malangnya seorang yang bersijil PhD tidak mampu melihat realiti sebab musabab perjanjian royalti dan Akta yang didraf selama ini. Tanpa akta dan royalti, sudah lama Sabah dan Sarawak menjadi entiti yang terpisah dari Malaysia. Kebijaksanaan Allahyarham Tun Razaklah yang menyelamatkan pemisahan ini - namun otak si pemegang PhD ini tidak membaca semua sejarah ini - agaknya ia sudah dibakar dengan jambatannya bersekali.

Jangan Rais ingat dengan menguasai wang, umno akan dapat menguasai orang. Jenguklah ke stadium Terengganu - mengapa ia sesak dengan ribuan manusia walaupun tiada nasi bungkus percuma. Sebaliknya hujan pula yang mencurah turun, tetapi mereka masih tidak berganjak.

Tidak takutkah Rais kepada tangan-tangan yang sedang terbuka itu dipenuhi oleh titis air hujan dari langit. Tuhan tidak akan mempersiakan doa orang yang dizalimi. Lambat laun ia pasti tiba juga dan ia mungkin datang dari arah yang tidak disangka. Rakyat Kelantan sudah membuktikan mereka lebih rela hidup berkat dari bergaya tetapi terlaknat. Kini mereka sudah berjaya mendirikan pelbagai menara yang tinggi tanpa perlu menghabiskan wang sesuka hati. Menara itu adalah iman yang tercegak di dalam hati.... bukannya ketulan batu yang terpacak di atas bumi tetapi sukar mencari isi.

Media Statement(2) by DAP National Chairman Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Monday, 30th October 2000:

Terengganu oil royalty - Rais' most unreasonable and outrageous statement since his return to Cabinet after general election

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Dr. Rais Yatim has made his most unreasonable and outrageous statement since his return to Cabinet after the general election last year when he declared yesterday that the 1975 agreement on the cash payment of petroleum royalty between Terengganu and Petronas as being "null and void."

He said the agreement was no more valid and effective following the Federal Government's decision in September to introduce the Wang Ehsan scheme in the form of payouts for development projects in the state.

Rais said that with the announcement, the Federal Government would no longer recognise the agreement as a "beneficial document" to both Petronas and the Terengganu Government concerning petroleum royalty.

In unilaterally and arbitrarily declaring the 1975 agreement on the cash payment of petroleum royalty between Terengganu and Petronas as being "null and void", Rais is not only extremely unreasonable and outrageous in arrogating to himself the role of super-judge, he has also shown utter contempt for the sanctity of laws, the concept of federalism as well as the damage his statement to international confidence in the rule of law in Malaysia and therefore the country's reliability as an investment destination.

Rais' statement is a very lame attempt to provide a fig-leaf to camouflage and justify the Federal Governments' politically-motivated, unfair, illegal and unconscionable hijacking of Terengganu oil royalty which exceeds RM1 billion this year as a result of increased production and unprecedentedly high international oil prices.

However, in declaring the 1975 agreement "null and void" with effect from the Federal government's decision in September to introduce the Wang Ehsan payments, Rais had in fact conceded the legality of the 1975 agreement in the past 25 years - and it is not within his power or that of the Federal government to unilaterally and arbitrarily declare it "null and void" or to revoke it.

As Parliament is in session, the government should table all the documents since the 1970s showing the position of the Attorney-General's Chamber and all the Attorney-Generals on the question of the Terengganu oil royalty in the form of a White Paper in the Dewan Rakyat.

- Lim Kit Siang -

http://asia.biz.yahoo.com/news/asian_markets/article.html? s=asiafinance/news/001031/asian_markets/dowjones/ Malaysian_Opposition_State_Defies_Federal_Laws_On_Oil.html

Tuesday, October 31 4:52 PM SGT

Malaysian Opposition State Defies Federal Laws On Oil

KUALA LUMPUR (AP)--An opposition-ruled state in Malaysia has vowed to defy Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's federal government and start developing oil reserves in the state, adding fuel to an ongoing feud over payment of oil royalties.

"Since the federal government does not recognize the state government's agreement with Petronas, we too do not recognize the federal government's stand," Wan Abdul Mutalib Embong, a minister in the eastern state of Terengganu was quoted as saying Tuesday.

Petronas is Malaysia's national oil and gas company controlled directly by the prime minister's office.

On Sunday, Rais Yatim, a minister in Mahathir's Cabinet, said the federal government and Petronas had exclusive rights on oil matters in all 13 states of this Southeast Asian nation of 22 million people.

Rais said the Terengganu state government, which is led by the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party or PAS, had no right to develop oil reserves in the state independently.

However, on Tuesday, Wan Abdul Mutalib reiterated that PAS would go ahead with plans to sign an agreement with a private company to develop oil reserves in the state.

Wan Abdul Mutalib said the federal government should leave it to Petronas and the Terengganu government to discuss oil matters.

"Why must the federal intervene when it is Petronas that should deal with us?" the Utusan Malaysia newspaper quoted him as asking.

Terengganu was to receive 810 million ringgit ($1=MYR3.80)in annual oil royalties this year from Petronas. But in September, Mahathir's government abruptly announced the money would instead be used to fund infrastructure projects and channeled through a federal agency outside the control of the state government.

Federal officials say PAS can't be trusted to administer these funds. The opposition, meanwhile, insists the government wants to punish PAS for winning control of Terengganu in last year's general elections.

Two other oil-producing Malaysian states, controlled by allies of Mahathir's party, continue to receive royalties.

Kuala Lumpur Revokes Petronas Royalty Deal With Trengganu

The Star, Oct 30, 00, p3:

NO MORE ROYALTY PAYMENTS

Deal With Trengganu Revoked

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Federal Government declared yesterday the 1975 agreement on the cash payment of petroleum royalty between Trengganu and Petronas as being "null and void".

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Rais Yatim said the agreement was no more valid and effective following the Federal Government's decision in September to introduce the "wang ehsan" scheme.

The scheme, in the form of payouts for the development projects in the state, has replaced the cash payments which had been practiced previously.

"It is up to the Trengganu government to accept it as an official and final decision," he told reporters after a dialogue with federal and state government servants on the petroleum royalty issue here.

"The state government is free to take legal action if they are not satisfied with the decision," he said.

With the announcement, Dr Rais said, the Federal Government would no longer recognise the agreement as a "beneficial document" to both Petronas and the Trengganu Government concerning petroleum royalty.

Dr Rais said the move to revoke the agreement was based on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 and the Continental Shelf Act 1966 which stipulated that Trengganu was not qualified to receive the petroleum royalty because the resource is found outside three nautical miles off its territorial waters.

He said the decision was not politically motivated.

"It is not right to say that the Federal Government is cruel, unfair and unwise to withdraw the petroleum royalty payment in cash to the state government because the decision was made based on the laws," he said.

Dr Rais sid the Federal Government considered the people's welfare and it would ensure that they continue to receive development projects directly fromit and not through middlemen or a third party.

Asked if Trengganu needed to sign a fresh agreement with Petronas if the state found petroleum and gas resources within its territorial waters and inland, Dr Rais said: "Based on the Petroleum Development Act, all states have given their rights to the Federal Government, through Petronas, to exploit and mine petroleum resources found within their territorial waters and mainland."

He said the states had no right to develop their own petroleum industry.

Asked how the cancellation of the agreement was effective, Dr Rais said: "When one party revokes the agreement by not following the terms contained in it, it automatically causes the agreement to be invalid and ineffective."

On a statement by the PAS state government that it was not keen to take legal action over the issue as it was not confident that the court and judiciary would be fair to them, Dr Rais said anybody who criticised the system openly without any strong proof was exposed to contempt of court.

"It is up to the court to take action against them but I think the statement made by the state government made by the state government leders (PAS leaders) was politically motivated," he said.