PAS warns police against clampdown on giant oil protest

Wong Choon Mei

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18: PAS leaders have urged the police to let pressure group Gegar proceed with a peaceful gathering this Saturday, where they will deliver a memorandum to the King, beseeching him to make the federal government pay back Kelantan and Terengganu oil royalty that is long owed to them. “Gegar is a respectable coalition of 50 NGOs and it is using proper channels to express the people’s unhappiness over the non-payment of oil royalty in Kelantan and Terengganu,” PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub told Harakahdaily. “Why should the police interfere? It is the rakyat’s (citizens') right to meet their King. Why are the police so takut (afraid)? Joint gathering On Saturday, tens of thousands of Terengganu and Kelantan folk plan to gather at the Sultan Mahmud Airport at 11.45 am. They plan to hand over their memorandum to the King, who is also the Terengganu Sultan and due to return to his home state on that day. The peaceful demonstration is organized by Gegar or the Movement to Demand the People's Royalty, which was formed last year to represent Kelantan and Terengganu in pressuring the federal government to reinstate the payment of oil royalties. PAS has also established a Special Taskforce on Oil Royalty, aimed at helping the two states claim their rights. It will be chaired by party vice president Salahuddin Ayub. “The frustration of the people is getting stronger by the day. This is why groups like Gegar and now the PAS Special Taskforce are important because they will help to channel this energy through proper means,” Wan Rahim Wan Abdullah, the Kota Baru MP told Harakahdaily. “We hope Prime Minister Najib Razak will wake up to this fact and not try to keep suppressing what are the natural feelings of the people.” Kelantan convoy to start from Pasir Puteh Kelantan Mentri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat will flag off a convoy of 200 cars at Bukit Yong in Pasir Puteh at 7.30am on Saturday. This huge motorcade will meet up with their Terengganu counterparts at the airport, where the King is due to arrive from Kuala Lumpur. The Kelantan convoy will be dressed in red and will also carry the Kelantan flag to honour their Sultan's upcoming official birthday on March 30. Oil royalty has long been a thorny issue in Kelantan and Terengganu, with the Umno-led federal government refusing to pay the respective state governments 5 percent of total oil produced in their territory as stipulated under the Petroleum Development Act 1974. As a result, both states remain among the poorest of Malaysia’s 13 states despite their enormous oil wealth. On Wednesday, Terengganu police chief Mohd Shukri Dahlan warned he would not compromise or hesitate to act against any protesters on the grounds that they were out to disrupt the state's security. "This is not a suitable place to send a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who will return to Terengganu on specific business. Nobody should take advantage of Tuanku's presence to do something that is outside the programme prepared by the palace," he told reporters. Sumber