By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 4: If restoring Sarawak’s fair share is considered a burden, then the system is not only broken—it is morally bankrupt, says Dato Lo Khere Chiang.
In a statement, the Batu Kitang assemblyman was responding to sentiments by former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who admitted that Sarawak deserves more but warned that any negotiations must not threaten economic stability.
“Sarawak is not asking for charity. We are demanding our rightful share under the Federal Constitution, under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and under natural justice,” said Lo.
He said that for decades, Sarawak has been contributing to the nation’s oil and gas (O&G) industry—all. At the same time, the State’s rural roads remain unpaved, its children study in dilapidated schools, and its people are told to ‘wait patiently’ for development.
Lo went on to describe the ex-economy minister’s words as ‘a textbook case of Putrajaya’s double standards’, saying that when mega projects costing tens of billions of ringgit are implemented in Peninsular Malaysia, no one talks about economic stability—but when Sarawak demands a share of the wealth it generates, it’s suddenly seen as a ‘threat’.
He then elaborated that Sarawak’s rights are not just moral, but also legal.
“In 1954, before the formation of Malaysia, the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council extended Sarawak’s territory to include the continental shelf—the seabed and subsoil beneath the high seas up to 200 nautical miles offshore.
“This boundary was never repealed, and under Article 1(3) of the Federal Constitution, Sarawak’s boundaries cannot be altered without the consent of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, which was never given.
“This makes the Territorial Sea Act 2012, which attempts to limit state control to just three nautical miles, inapplicable to Sarawak,” he said.
Lo added that Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has made it clear that the State’s boundary is non-negotiable, and that Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63, and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali reaffirmed that the 1954 Order in Council remains in force and that the Territorial Sea Act 2012 does not override Sarawak’s sovereign rights over the continental shelf.
In addition, he said that in February 2022, constitutional amendments were passed to restore Sarawak’s rightful status and enshrine MA63 in the Federal Constitution.
“If the Federation of Malaysia truly wants to be stable, united, and respected, then it must start by respecting Sarawak,” said Lo.
In a Free Malaysia Today (FMT) report on Sunday (Aug 3), Rafizi said negotiations over the rights and distribution of gas resources between the federal and Sarawak governments must be done meticulously, as any oversight would be detrimental to the overall economy.
The former minister added that if Sarawak’s claim to the gas resources is entertained without considering the existing overall financial structure, PETRONAS risks losing between RM15 billion and RM20 billion a year. — DayakDaily
