The Sarawak BN has been urged to review its position in the BN coalition on grounds that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is not sincere towards Sarawak's request for its oil and gas royalty payment to be raised to 20 percent.

The call was made today by DAP Member of Parliament for Bandar Kuching, Chong Chieng Jen, who said the BN-dominated Parliament was refusing to discuss his motion to debate the 20 percent oil and gas royalty payment for Sarawak.

Last month the Sarawak legislative assembly unanimously passed a motion asking the federal government to increase its oil and gas royalty from five percent to 20 percent.

Chong said: "On Wednesday, I submitted to Najib, through Shahidan Kassim (Minister in Prime Minister’s Department) a Letter of Petition to request for my motion on 20 percent oil and gas royalty to be debated in Parliament on Thursday, June 19.

"This petition was signed by 87 Members of Parliament, comprising 84 Pakatan MPs and three Sarawak BN MPs.”

However, he said, yesterday's sitting of Parliament was adjourned for the day at 1pm. There was ample time to debate his motion in the afternoon, but the government chose not to do so.

Chong, who is Sarawak DAP chief, in his motion wants the federal government to abide by the Sarawak state assembly's call for the oil and gas royalty payable to the state, in lieu of its oil and gas rights, to be raised from the present five percent to 20 percent, within this year.

With his resolution not being raised in Parliament, he said, all the promises and sweet talk made by Najib remained empty promises and mere talk.

'Najib evasive from the outset'

"Right from the outset, after the Sarawak state assembly passed the motion for the oil and gas royalty to be raised to 20 percent on May 6, 2014, Najib has been evasive and non-committal to the request," he said.

His motion to Parliament on the matter would best show whether Najib was sincere about higher royalty payment, “but Najib has failed the test of sincerity towards Sarawak," Chong added.

"Yesterday, all government business finished at 1pm.  According to the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, after the lunch-break at 1pm, meeting shall resume from 2.30pm till 5.30pm.  

"However, yesterday, after finishing all the government business at 1pm, instead of having my motion debated in the House in the afternoon, Najib and his administration chose to adjourn the meeting and have no sitting in the afternoon.  

"It is thus clear that Najib is avoiding the 20 percent oil royalty issue of Sarawak," he said.

Therefore, Chong added, it is time for Sarawak BN to re-think and review its position in the BN coalition government and Sarawak’s status in Malaysia.