KUALA KRAI:The facts of the oil royalty issue raised by PAS should be clearly explained by the relevant agencies to avoid confusion among voters in Manik Urai over the issue, said Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Rais, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, said this was also to prevent the issue from being used as political capital (by the opposition) during an election campaign to win votes.

"For example, it must be explained that Kelantan has no right (to oil royalty claim)," he told reporters after simultaneously opening the Chuchoh Puteri and Manik Urai Lama rural Libraries in Chuchoh Puteri, here, Tuesday.

Rais was asked about the government's response to the issues raised by PAS, including the oil royalty claim of RM1 billion since 2002 by the PAS state government, in the run-up to the by-election.

PAS has questioned why Kelantan, unlike Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak, has not been paid oil royalty although the state was listed among the four oil-producing states in the Statistics Department's 2007 book, page 187.

Rais said: "Under international law, Kelantan has no right to oil royalty as the oil and gas operations area in the Gulf of Siam is located in the zone with overlapping claims by Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

"As such, the documentation problem as alleged does not arise."

Rais also said that not all issues needed to be explained by the government as some issues were only being used as political capital to gain support from the 12,293 voters in Manik Urai who would cast their votes on July 14.

On the two rural libraries, he said more than 1,000 residents, especially the youths and children, would not only benefit from reading and borrowing books, but also from the Internet facility available, thus narrowing the knowledge and digital divide between rural and urban residents.

Thirty-four rural libraries have been built in Kelantan, with five of them in the Kuala Krai district.

Under the federal government's RM150 million Special Allocation for Management Expenditure, 475 rural libraries were to be built throughout the country over a period of three years from 2005.
(Bernama)