PM Mahathir calls g-77 grouping bulky and unwieldy<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia's outspoken Prime Minister
\nMahathir Mohamad on Thursday criticized the Group of 77
\ndeveloping countries, calling it bulky and unwieldy.<\/p>\n
Mahathir's rare criticism of developing countries came after
\nhis trip to the United States where there was a poor turn-out for
\na meeting of Group of 77, or G-77, leaders in New York.<\/p>\n
Mahathir, who has had prickly relations with the West ever
\nsince he came to power in 1981, was critical of the need for
\ndecision-making by consensus among all 133 of the G-77 member
\nstates.<\/p>\n
\"In the G-77, everything must be done through consensus by the
\n133 heads of government,\" the state-run Bernama news agency
\nquoted Mahathir as telling reporters upon his return to Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"Obviously, it is bulky and unwieldy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The G-77 was originally established with 77 members to help
\npromote the views of developing countries at the UN Conference on
\nTrade and Development.<\/p>\n
It includes developing country heavyweights such as China,
\nIndia, South Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Mahathir said it was more difficult for the G-77 to conduct
\nmeetings due its size compared with the Group of Eight rich
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Malaysian newspapers said the poor turn-out of leaders at the
\nNew York meeting was due to short notice.<\/p>\n
Initially billed as a Special G-77 Summit, to take advantage
\nof the gathering of world leaders for the UN Millennium Summit,
\nthe G-77 gathering was later downgraded to a special meeting,
\nthen a meeting and finally a briefing.<\/p>\n
\"Except for 'a few' heads of state\/government, most of those
\nwho turned up for the meeting were senior officials,\" the Star
\nnewspaper reported.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on domestic matter, Mahathir on Thursday declared
\nthat a Malaysian state ruled by the opposition Islamic party had
\nno right to receive oil royalty payments from the federal
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"This is because the oil is not from Terengganu (state). It is
\noffshore oil and as such under the law it belongs to the federal
\ngovernment,\" Mahathir was quoted as saying by the national
\nBernama news agency.<\/p>\n
Government and opposition leaders have locked horns this week
\nover millions of dollars in oil royalty payments to Terengganu
\nwhich federal authorities will no longer allow the state
\ngovernment led by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, to
\nadminister.<\/p>\n
PAS wrested Terengganu from Mahathir's United Malays National
\nOrganization in elections last November as its influence grew in
\nMalaysian politics. The new state government has repeatedly
\naccused Mahathir's federal government of trying to starve it of
\ndevelopment funds.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Finance Ministry announced that the government
\nwould cease to channel annual oil royalty payments to
\nTerengganu's state leaders. Instead, a federal-level committee
\nwould allocate the funds to build roads and provide low-cost
\nhousing for fishermen in Terengganu.<\/p>\n
The payments, made annually by the federal government since
\n1978, usually equal 5 percent of Terengganu's oil and gas
\nproduction value. This year's payment is expected to total about
\n810 million ringgit (US$213 million). Terengganu, Sabah and
\nSarawak are Malaysia's oil-producing states. All three have so
\nfar received royalty.<\/p>\n
The government's decision is seen as a huge financial blow to
\nPAS, which alleges that its annual administration budget in
\nTerengganu is less than 500 million ringgit ($132 million).<\/p>\n
\"It is not royalty. It is a special payment that we give
\nTerengganu in view of it being the poorest state in the past, but
\nthings have changed now,\" Mahathir told reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Opposition leaders say the action violates an agreement
\nbetween Terengganu and the national oil company, Petronas.<\/p>",
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