KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar has affirmed his administration's resolve to seek the oil royalties owed by Putrajaya, following the rejection of a law concerning the exploration of natural resources by the state assembly.

It was reported that Samsuri said the Terengganu government would explore all possible avenues to negotiate with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the matter.

When asked if he intended to meet Anwar at the Madani Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house in Kuala Terengganu on May 9, Samsuri said: "God willing."

"We are optimistic and we will try various methods, including making full use of Anwar's visit (next month)," he was quoted as saying.

"The game isn't over yet," he said at a press conference after receiving a memorandum from Sekretariat Gerakan Menuntut Royalti Terengganu, an NGO that is calling on the federal government to return the royalties to the state.

Earlier today, the Terengganu assembly unanimously passed a motion to reject the Territorial Sea Act 2012 (Act 750), citing its infringement on the state's rights to explore resources and generate revenue within its maritime borders.

Samsuri said the state government's opposition to the law was due to its non-compliance with the conditions outlined in Article 2(b) and Article 38(4) of the Federal Constitution.

He said Article 2(b) stipulated that laws altering a state's boundaries cannot be enacted without the consent of the respective state and the Conference of Rulers.

In February, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said told the Dewan Rakyat that Kelantan and Terengganu are ineligible for the five per cent petroleum revenue payments, as the relevant law stipulates that states can only claim rights within three nautical miles.

In the following month, Samsuri urged Anwar to clarify the outstanding oil royalty payment for 2023 owed to Terengganu.

During a previous Terengganu assembly session, Samsuri disclosed that the state government had yet to receive approximately RM1 billion in oil royalties for 2023 from Putrajaya.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1042612/terengganu-mb-keeping-firm-pursuing-oil-royalty-owed-putrajaya-nsttv