By Jaswinder Kaur , New Straits Times
June 15, 2008
KOTA KINABALU: Petronas should reveal in detail its accounts as the people have a right to know where the national oil company gets its revenue from, Rembau Member of Parliament Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday.
June 15, 2008
KOTA KINABALU: Petronas should reveal in detail its accounts as the people have a right to know where the national oil company gets its revenue from, Rembau Member of Parliament Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday.
Stating that he will raise the matter in Parliament, he said petroleum in the country "belongs to the people" and that Petronas was merely the custodian of the resource.
"I do not know why it (Petronas) is not revealing its accounts in detail. I believe the people have a right to know as petrol found in the country belongs to the people.
"Petronas is one of the best-run companies and I am sure there is nothing that can't be defended in their accounts.
"If detailed information on its accounts are not revealed to the public, the people will continue to be suspicious. I hope the government will consider revealing the detailed accounts of Petronas publicly," he said.
Khairy, who is Umno Youth vice-head, was speaking to reporters after presenting RM5,000 on behalf of Sabah Umno Youth to the Seri Mengasih centre for the intellectually disabled at Tanjung Aru here.
He said this when asked to comment on a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, which was held to protest the recent fuel price hike.
The protesters, led by Pas Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, walked from Kampung Baru mosque to the Pas headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut.
Khairy said once the accounts were revealed in detail, it would be easier for the public to assess and decide if Petronas was indeed earning a lot.
He said that if Petronas reveals its accounts, demands to increase the oil royalty for Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, which are oil-producing states, could be studied.
"We cannot just demand for an increase from five per cent to say 20 per cent without knowing what is in Petronas' accounts.
"We need to find out first before it can be decided if additional royalty should be paid.
"These three oil-producing states are still lagging behind in terms of development and should probably get more, but we need to find out if Petronas is able to pay extra to these states," he said.
Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican was recently quoted as saying that it has paid the government RM335.7 billion since its incorporation and now faces large rises in exploration costs at a much higher rate than the increase, in percentage terms, of oil prices.
Khairy also wants oil companies, including Petronas and Shell, to set up training centres in Sabah to create more opportunities for locals in the oil and gas sector.
He said locals should be employed in the sector instead of hiring experts from the peninsula and overseas.
He said Friday's rally failed to draw 20,000 people as the organisers had hoped because Malaysians were rejecting demonstrations.
"But this does not mean the people have accepted the government's decision to cut subsidies on petrol.
"I believe the people are still unhappy with the fuel price hike but the opposition's approach (to hold a rally) is not being accepted by the people.
"The people know demonstrations do not solve anything.
"Holding rallies in Malaysia will not lead to a drop in the prices of fuel at global level. It is a global problem. We must continue to come up with constructive suggestions."
He said this when asked to comment on a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, which was held to protest the recent fuel price hike.
The protesters, led by Pas Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, walked from Kampung Baru mosque to the Pas headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut.
Khairy said once the accounts were revealed in detail, it would be easier for the public to assess and decide if Petronas was indeed earning a lot.
He said that if Petronas reveals its accounts, demands to increase the oil royalty for Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu, which are oil-producing states, could be studied.
"We cannot just demand for an increase from five per cent to say 20 per cent without knowing what is in Petronas' accounts.
"We need to find out first before it can be decided if additional royalty should be paid.
"These three oil-producing states are still lagging behind in terms of development and should probably get more, but we need to find out if Petronas is able to pay extra to these states," he said.
Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican was recently quoted as saying that it has paid the government RM335.7 billion since its incorporation and now faces large rises in exploration costs at a much higher rate than the increase, in percentage terms, of oil prices.
Khairy also wants oil companies, including Petronas and Shell, to set up training centres in Sabah to create more opportunities for locals in the oil and gas sector.
He said locals should be employed in the sector instead of hiring experts from the peninsula and overseas.
He said Friday's rally failed to draw 20,000 people as the organisers had hoped because Malaysians were rejecting demonstrations.
"But this does not mean the people have accepted the government's decision to cut subsidies on petrol.
"I believe the people are still unhappy with the fuel price hike but the opposition's approach (to hold a rally) is not being accepted by the people.
"The people know demonstrations do not solve anything.
"Holding rallies in Malaysia will not lead to a drop in the prices of fuel at global level. It is a global problem. We must continue to come up with constructive suggestions."
