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By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who is the adviser to national oil firm Petronas, has asked how the Umno-BN spent the RM253.6 billion paid out to the government in taxes, royalty, dividends and export duty.
“In 1976 the Government received RM300 million. The amount increased to RM2 billion in 1981. By 2003 it paid RM15.6 billion to the Federal Government. The total from 1981 to 2003 is RM168.8 billion in 22 years,” said Mahathir in his blog. “From then onwards it increased from RM19 billion in 2004 to RM67.8 billion in 2009. The total for six years is RM253.6 billion. I am sure the Government had spent the money wisely. It would be interesting to know what the RM253.6 billion was spent on.” Mahathir has made no bones about his unhappiness with the performance of Abdullah Badawi, his chosen successor turned foe. Now that Abdullah has retired, Mahathir has been resisting efforts by current Prime Minister Najib Razak to put in his own men to helm the national oil firm. Clarify rumours and make Petronas answerable to Parliament Petronas is Malaysia’s only company whose revenue is large enough to make it to the Forbes list of the world’s top 500 firms. It is also the owner of the Petronas Twin Towers, until recently the tallest building in the world. Of late, there has been intense speculation that Najib is trying to replace chief executive Hassan Merican with and also to place his close aide Omar Mustapha into the Petronas board of directors. Last week, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang called on Najib to come clean on the rumors. “Earlier, the name of former Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar had been bruited as the likely new Petronas CEO. In the last few days, another name has emerged: Mohd Bakke Salleh, the Felda Holdings group managing director, and that he is to understudy Hassan until the present Petronas CEO’s retirement next February,” said Kit Siang, who is also the Ipoh Timur MP. “Najib should also explain to Parliament why he is insisting on appointing a Petronas loan defaulter as a director of Petronas, as the widespread objections to Omar Mustapha’s appointment to the Petronas, now taken up by the Board, is fully justified and valid.” Like Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, Kit Siang too has been calling for Petronas to make public its financial accounts and to be responsible to Parliament. Currently, the oil firm is answerable only to the Prime Minister – a grave Achilles heel for the nation especially in light of the huge number just revealed by Mahathir. Commented Matthias Chang, ex-political secretary to Mahathir, in his blog: “Adding fuel to the fire, there have been rumours that Najib is putting his cronies in charge of Petronas – our country’s cash cow! I suppose, if one is going to be a one term prime minister, there is only so much time to loot the dwindling coffers!”
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