MUKTAMAR | PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang believes that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will keep to his word of paying Terengganu five percent royalty for its petroleum resources.

Hadi said that while there was no timeline set, he believes the payment will be made.

“There is no deadline, but I believe the prime minister will fulfil his promise,” he told reporters after launching the PAS Supporters Wing National Convention in Kuala Terengganu today.

Hadi said that the cabinet had agreed to follow the percentage noted in the first agreement signed between the state and the federal government.

In June, it was reported that Terengganu and Kelantan would get royalties for their petroleum resources again, after the Pakatan Harapan-led federal government agreed to it.

Currently, the two states only receive 'wang ehsan', funds channelled through a federal agency, while two other petroleum-producing states Sabah and Sarawak enjoy five percent royalties.

Terengganu had been receiving royalties for the resources when the state was under Barisan Nasional, but it was turned into wang ehsan after PAS took over in 1999. It remained so even after BN recaptured Terengganu in the 11th general election in 2004.

Earlier, in his speech at the event, Hadi told delegates that BN had used the tactics to undermine PAS' capability to manage the two states.

"When Pas won in Kelantan, and later Terengganu, (BN government) took away the royalty of petroleum from Terengganu. Kelantan did not even get anything.

"They even deprived (PAS state governments) of financial allocations and appointed people from the federal government to meddle in state affairs.

"Then they blame PAS for not being able to rule state governments properly, when it was them who meddled in our affairs and blocked us.

"But this did not stop us from continuing our struggle to uphold Islam as the solution in politics and economy," he said.