Mahathir offering the Kelantanese dedak

When Barisan Nasional lost Terengganu in 1999, Mahathir cancelled the state’s oil royalty. Now Mahathir says if Barisan Nasional loses the next election, Kelantan would be rewarded with an oil royalty. But in 1990, when Barisan Nasional lost Kelantan, Mahathir cancelled the RM600 million water development budget. Pusing sini, pusing sana…peninglah!

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says that anyone who ‘bribes’ voters or entices them with a reward is giving them dedak. Anyone who supports or votes for someone or a political party for some form of reward ‘makan dedak’ said Mahathir. Well, today Mahathir offered the Kelantanese dedak.

READ HERE: Dr M vows Kelantan will get oil royalties 

In an effort to win the support of the Kelantanese, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has vowed to pay oil royalties to the state government should the Barisan Nasional Federal Government be defeated. “If we win, then we can give the royalties,” said Mahathir. (FMT)

In November 1999, the opposition coalition, Barisan Alternatif, won the state of Terengganu. Three months later, in January 2000, Mahathir terminated the oil royalty that the state was entitled to.

The PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT ACT 1974 says as follows:

An Act to provide for exploration and exploitation of petroleum whether onshore or offshore by a Corporation in which will be vested the entire ownership in and the exclusive rights, powers, liberties and privileges in respect of the said petroleum, and to control the carrying on of downstream activities and development relating to petroleum and its products; to provide for the establishment of a Corporation under the Companies Act 1965 or under the law relating to the incorporation of companies and for the powers of that Corporation; and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

For this purpose, a national petroleum company was set up called Petroleum Nasional Berhad, or Petronas for short. And, in return, the states would be paid a percentage of the petroleum revenue as laid out in Section 4 of the Petroleum Development Act, which says:

In return for the ownership and the rights, powers, liberties and privileges vested in it by virtue of this Act, the Corporation shall make to the Government of the Federation and the Government of any relevant State such cash payment as may be agreed between the parties concerned.

In 1976, an agreement was signed between Petronas and ALL the states in Malaysia. The man who drew up this Agreement was Tun Salleh Abas, the then Solicitor-General. In this agreement it states that any and all states where petroleum is found would be paid 5% of the revenue and that this revenue is to be called ROYALTY.

And, since then, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak have enjoyed a 5% oil royalty from Petronas.

Then, in 2000, in breach of both the Parliament Act 1974 and the 1976 Agreement, Mahathir cancelled the 5% oil royalty and told Terengganu it will only be reinstated once Barisan Nasional takes back the state.

In 2004, the state fell back into the hands of Barisan National but the 5% oil royalty was not reinstated.

And now Mahathir promises that if Barisan National loses the next general election he would give Kelantan oil royalty.

In the late 1980s, the federal government had approved a budget of RM600 million for the development of water in Kelantan. In 1990, PAS and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s Semangat 46 won the election and formed the new Kelantan State Government.

Mahathir immediately cancelled the RM600 million water development budget and told the Kelantanese that if they wanted the money they would have to vote Barisan Nasional in the next election.

Mahathir then said PAS cannot even run Kelantan properly, so how are they going to run Malaysia? Kelantan had the highest cholera rate in Malaysia and many people were dying of cholera every month because of bad water. And that was why they needed the RM600 million — so that they could develop their water supply and stop the cholera deaths.

The cholera deaths appeared to be a joke to Mahathir and he used this as the example why PAS is not capable of running the state government. Mahathir then joked that when you open the taps in Kelantan you do not get water, you get coffee. That is because the water in Kelantan contains so much silt and impurities that it looks like coffee.

I wrote about this matter back in September 2000, which you can read below (Killing the Kelantanese with no water).

Finally, last month, in September 2016, after 26 years delay, Kelantan at last saw the end of its water woes. But how many people have had to die from cholera in those 26 years?

READ HERE: Restructuring of Kelantan water industry finalised

Is Mahathir suffering from dementia? Has he forgotten what he did to Kelantan in 1990 and Terengganu in 2000 to punish them because Barisan Nasional lost those two states? And now he wants to bribe them with dedak if they vote against Barisan Nasional.

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ADDENDUM

Killing the Kelantanese with no water

When the Anwar Ibrahim poisoning crisis erupted late last year, Mahathir pooh-poohed the whole matter by saying that Malays do not murder for political ends.

Not quite true!

Samad Goal was murdered in Kota Bharu – head split open with an axe. The “old timers” tell me, while he was giving a speech during a political rally. Dato Tahar was murdered – I was told, shot all over his body. Some people tell me Dr Burhanuddin Hilmi was poisoned. And those are only the ones I know about. And they were all murdered for political reasons.

Yes, Malays DO murder for political ends.

Is Mahathir now killing off the Kelantanese, his political rivals, by denying them water?

This is what Mahathir said recently, “However, the Kelantan government could not even ensure clean water for its people. When you turn on the tap, you get coffee instead.”

To Mahathir it is all a big joke – something to laugh about. The Kelantan opposition government cannot even provide clean water for its people. Mahathir thinks it is so funny.

Mahathir added that the Kelantan State government was seeking help from the Federal Government to overcome its water woes. “They are asking for 600 million Ringgit from us. If we have that kind of money, we will put it to good use.”

Yes, that’s right. If the Federal Government had 600 million Ringgit they would put it to good use. They would not give it to the Kelantan State government to provide water to its 1,500,000 people. That is not good use for the money.

600 million Ringgit can build an F1 racetrack. Foreigners can use the track to enjoy themselves. 600 million Ringgit can also build a beautiful tower in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. That is better use for the money. Water for 1,500,000 people in Kelantan is definitely NOT good use.

Kelantan has been facing a water shortage problem for the last 20 or 30 years – long before the opposition took over the State. In 1990, the state fell to the opposition. The Federal Government then suddenly decided to cancel the plan to spend 600 million Ringgit to improve the water supply in the State.

The members of the Kelantan Branch of the Housing Developers Association met the Minister-in-Charge of the State, Annuar Musa, to discuss the water problem with him. These developers could not hand over their houses to their buyers as there was no water supply and they were losing money because of it.

Annuar Musa told the developers, if they wanted water, they would have to vote in the Barisan Nasional the next general election. As long as the State was under the opposition they would get no water.

Then the Federal Government announced they were giving Kelantan State the 600 million Ringgit they required. There was much rejoicing. Kelantan, at last, would be getting water.

Then, when everyone’s hopes were high, the Federal Government announced they would not, after all, give the State the money. All hopes were dashed.

Then it was announced the State would be given the money, but the Federal government would control it and decide how it is used. Then they said the State would not get the money.

This is a cruel game to play on 1,500,000 people who have not seen clean water for two generations. You build up their hopes, then you dash it again, just to see the smiles on their faces get wiped off.

Today, Kelantan is suffering from a Cholera outbreak. Mahathir is a medical man. He knows how and why Cholera is spread.

Does Mahathir announce the water embargo on Kelantan is off? Does Mahathir now give them the 600 million Ringgit promised and un-promised so many times?

No! Instead, TV3 parades people before their cameras to show them condemning the Kelantan Government for not being able to overcome the State water woes.

The water woes were there long before the opposition took over the State. It is not the opposition government’s fault. They inherited the problem when they took over a State that already had no water.

This is a cruel game to play on the people of Kelantan. It is not funny, and Mahathir should wipe that smirk off his face. People are dying in Kelantan. And it’s all because they have no water. And they have no water because the Federal Government is trying to bring the State to its knees.

Was it not Mahathir who condemned the US for its embargo on Iraq? Was it not Mahathir who said the embargo is causing the deaths of thousands of innocent children? Was it not Mahathir who called the Americans murderers for doing this?

Does Mahathir not see he is now killing innocent Kelantanese by denying them water? Is Mahathir so sure those dead from Cholera voted for the opposition? What if they did not? What if they did not vote at all? What if they are children and babies who are not even voters yet?

Mahathir, are you not a Malay? Are not the Kelantanese Malays? Did you not say Malays do not murder for political ends?

Mahathir, stop killing off innocent children and babies! Stop the Cholera epidemic in Kelantan! Give Kelantan the water they need! Give them the water they have been waiting generations for.

Most importantly of all, Mahathir, stop gloating. Wipe that smirk off your face. It is not as funny as you think. Denying the Kelantan people water does not prove how incapable the opposition is in running the State. It just proves you would gladly resort to murdering innocent babies just to defeat a political rival.

May God have mercy on you, Mahathir, for all those deaths in Kelantan!

Raja Petra Kamarudin (28 September 2000)