KUCHING, June 10 : “No comment because it is still with the court … sub judice”.
That was all Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg was prepared to say when reporters asked him this afternoon about Sarawak’s counter measure against Petronas’ oil claims.
On June 4, the national oil giant filed an application before the Federal Court seeking for a declaration on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA), claiming that it has exclusive rights over all oil resources in the country, including in Sarawak.
When the reporters, who were covering Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Satok branch’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri charity event at SK Merpati Jepang here, asked about the deadline for the state government to make its move against Petronas, the chief minister again replied, “No comment”.
On June 7, Abang Johari attended a gathering of some 50 lawyers from all over the state to discuss ways to deal with Petronas’ court action and matters pertaining to Sarawak’s rights.
Among other things, he gave approval to the Advocates’ Association of Sarawak (AAS) to form a taskforce to look into all matters pertaining to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Sarawak’s rights, apart from the Petronas’ issue.
The lawyers were to work closely with state Attorney-General Datuk Talat Mahmood Abdul Rashid.
“No matter how big the challenges, we will fight this through,” said Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali to reporters after the meeting, which was held at the State Legislative Assembly building. — DayakDaily
