There’s a saying in Malay: “The hand that gives is better than the one that takes”.
It highlights the value of generosity and what blessing entails for those who keep on giving.
It was probably based on this value, among others, that the spirit of the federation was built upon and in the wisdom of our forefathers.
It allowed Malaysia to prosper as a country, even at the slight expense and detriment of resource-rich regions such as those in Borneo – Sarawak and Sabah.
In Sarawak’s case, it meant a lion’s share of the money generated from its oil and gas that were channelled to Putrajaya to fund development of the nation as a whole.
Since 1976, when national oil and gas company PETRONAS began extracting oil and gas in Sarawak to 2017, it had earned a total revenue of about RM660 billion, but only RM33 billion was returned to Sarawak.
A sum of RM33 billion from a total of RM660 billion makes up only five per cent for Sarawak, spent on its infrastructure development. Where did the 95 per cent go? It went to Malaya.
From federal government figures, Sarawak’s probable and proven reserves of petroleum represent 60.87 per cent of Malaysia’s total reserves, while Sabah’s make up around 18.8 per cent.
Sarawak is the largest gas exporting state in Malaysia, with 90 per cent of all PETRONAS liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes in the country sourced from or through the state.
All these wealth that belonged to Sarawak – and Sabah has not been enjoyed by itself but was used to plug whatever financial holes that Putrajaya required plugging.
In recent years, under Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s leadership, Sarawak was able to put their foot down to assert its oil and gas rights through negotiations and even going to the courts.
The State Sales Tax (SST), which imposed 5 per cent on oil and gas production from Sarawak’s oil and gas resources has been a masterstroke, providing the needed financial injection for Sarawak to undertake necessary and long overdue infrastructure projects.
Along with farsighted economic policies as well as prudent financial management, Sarawak is in good standings financially even to the extent of being accorded the status of being a high-income state by the World Bank.
Sarawak was able to change its fortunes with little to no help from the federal government. That much is clear.
That is why a lot of Sarawakians were frustrated when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad proposed that Sarawak, now being a rich state, ought to help poorer states such as Kedah and others.
His argument was that the federal government has assisted Sarawak and Sabah for some time and that when the two states are now rich, it is their turn to help others.
One question – when he said that the federal government assisted Sarawak and Sabah, was it on their own dime? For all we know, we were being “assisted” with our own money.
Secondly, isn’t that the point of Sarawak and Sabah’s resources and whatever financial returns generated from them, being diverted to the federal government – to assist these poor states?
What exactly happened and why aren’t these states able to escape from being “impoverished” despite all the money?
Thirdly, why is now when Sarawak has managed to scrape through the period of being developmentally handicapped and emerged stronger on the other side that he wants the newly obtained riches to also be re-distributed?
Is it to dampen Sarawak’s economy to the level that he sees as ideal – that Sarawak cannot be too rich and economically too powerful? For Sarawak to remain subservient to Malaya as it holds all the money.
I mean isn’t that what we have been doing all this while? All we do – Sarawak and Sabah – is give and give, and what Malaya does is take and take.
The response by the Premier was spot on. We are a state and we are not the federal government whose job is to assist these poorer states.
In any case, we are the ones who should be assisted as we still have pressing needs – infrastructure development, basic facilities and connectivity for the rural residents.
The Sarawak government has done a lot to provide whatever they can but Putrajaya cannot simply shirk its duties and responsibilities in developing Sarawak.
We have been charitable enough thus far towards the federation but in the words of the Premier, charity begins at home.
