Sarawak’s resources belong to the state, SUPP tells Petronas

(FMT) – The Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) today hit out at Petronas over its court application to declare exclusive ownership of Malaysia’s petroleum assets, saying all oil and gas resources in Sarawak’s continental shelf belong to the state.

SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian said Sarawak’s right to the land and natural resources in the area was established in the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954, and preserved in the Federal Constitution.

“SUPP promises to fight to the end for the return of our rights and the ownership of our oil and gas.

“As we were given the mandate to be part of the Sarawak government in the last Sarawak election in 2016, we will not back down from our promises.

“We cannot allow a government-linked corporation to claim its rights over our sovereignty in oil resources in order to siphon our wealth out to the peninsula again,” he said in a statement.

Yesterday, Petronas said it was seeking a federal court declaration of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA), the law applicable for the petroleum industry in Malaysia.

The application was also to declare that Petronas, in line with the PDA, is the exclusive owner of the petroleum resources and the regulator for the upstream industry throughout Malaysia, including in Sarawak.

“Petronas remains committed to supporting Sarawak’s aspiration to participate in the oil and gas industry in the state, for as long as it is within the framework of the PDA,” it said.

However, Sim said Sarawak’s oil rights had been “forcibly” removed by the federal government through the Petroleum Mining Act 1966, the Continental Shelf Act 1966 and the Petroleum Development Act 1974.

“But with the emergency laws being lifted in 2012, and the PDA 1974 passed without the consent of the Sarawak state assembly, the ownership of the oil and gas shall fall back to Sarawak,” he added.

He also called on Sarawakians to stand united in their objection to Petronas’ claim, and to give their full support to the state government to defend their rights and oil resources.