Despite Umno leaders suddenly feigning ignorance that Putrajaya owes Kelantan oil royalties, it was Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's father who had promised payments to the northern state, said NGO Royalti.
 
Royalti, a lobby group for the state's rightful oil royalties, said then prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, who was also Umno president at that time, made the promise in Parliament on Nov 15, 1974.
 
The movement's president, Nazri Deraman, in a statement today, reproduced an extract of Abdul Razak's speech as "proof" of oil royalty owed, as demanded by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin  and International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed (right).
 
The extract of Abdul Razak's speech read: "According to the agreement, every state will receive five percent of the value of petroleum discovered and obtained from onshore or offshore of the state, which is sold by Petronas, agencies, or contractors".
 
"Royalti's demands is based on the laws and agreement in the Petroleum Development Act 1974 and the vesting deeds signed by the then Petronas chairperson Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and then Kelantan menteri besar Mohd Nasir," said Nazri.
 
He added the projected RM12 billion owed to the state was derived by a state agency from a gross domestic product growth report by the federal government in 2009.
 
"The RM12 billion figure was an estimation until 2012 only and we are convinced that this amount has now exceeded RM13 billion," he said.
 
Nazri said there were a total of five petroleum blocks and 44 oil wells in Kelantan's waters.
 
He said neighbouring state Terengganu too receive the five percent oil royalty payment from 1978 to 1999 but this was stopped after PAS captured the state.
 
It was not resumed even though BN recaptured the state in 2004.
 
'Don't be dishonest'
 
"If Terengganu can receive payment from 1978 to 1999, why is Kelantan not qualified?
 
"In fact Kelantan distance to the oil production field is similar if not nearer (compared to Terengganu)," he said.
 
As such, Nazri demanded Putrajaya to explain what law it was using to deny Kelantan its oil royalty.
 
He also urged to allow the state government access to federal information to prove its oil royalty case.
 
He urged current Umno leaders to be honest and not go back on the word of their predecessors.
 
On nomination day for the Pengkalan Kubor by-election last Saturday, Muhyiddin (left) had dismissed Kelantan's oil royalty claim and demanded the state to show proof.
 
This was subsequently echoed by Mustapha, who is also Kelantan Umno chief.
 
This was despite Najib's promise to resolve Kelantan's oil royalty claim in 2012 by announcing a federal-state committee on the matter, a year before the 13th general election.
 
However, after the general election, there has been no news about the committee.