Jeffrey wields double-edged sword

KOTA KINABALU: Bingkor State Assemblyman Jeffrey Kitingan will make a renewed bid to have a motion on the oil issue introduced in the Sabah State Assembly today.

The motion calls for a review of the constitutionality of the Petroleum Development Act of 1974 as well as the legality of the Petroleum Agreement of June 1976 and the authority of the then chief minister to sign it.

The motion was rejected at the last state assembly session in April.

At the same time, the Star Sabah chief has followed up on Chief Minister Musa Aman’s call during the last assembly sitting to meet with him personally for any explanation that he may need on issues he is concerned about.

Jeffrey has prepared a long list of issues which he wants to take up with the Chief Minister, according to a statement from Star Sabah signed by him.

The Malaysia Agreement, oil, NCR, security, the creeping of racial polarisation from the peninsula into Sabah, revenue sharing, financial management and relations with the federal government top the list.

Other issues are empowerment of the Orang Asal, Borneonisation, the National Cabotage Policy, education, and a demand for Sabah and Sarawak to have 35 per cent of the seats in Parliament.

The submission has the “the intention of promoting the rights, interest and welfare of Sabah and Sabahans” and seeks “the better development and progress of Sabah and Sabahans,” according to the statement.

“The resolution of these Sabah issues will benefit not only Sabah but also Malaysia as a whole, especially when the nation is facing so many problems that are tearing the country apart,” said Jeffrey.