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KUCHING, Sept 6: The Petronas Development Act 1974 (PDA74) is never meant to surrender Sarawak’s sovereignty of its natural resources particularly oil and gas or other related minerals to the Federal government as it was and still is subservient to the Federal Constitution.
In stating this, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) information chief Dato Idris Buang added that Sarawak’s interest has always been safeguarded by the incorporation of the Malaysia Agreement (which is also an International Agreement registered with the United Nation) and the terms of the Cobbold Commission Report into the Federal Constitution.
“These are ‘safely entrenched’ in the said Constitution and therefore all Sarawak’s sovereign rights to its natural resources are well locked in that supreme document,” said Idris in a statement today.
He was responding to the recent statement of former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who challenged Malaya leaders to engage Sarawak on the State’s claim on the six oil wells found along Sarawak’s shoreline.
“Six more oil wells were found and Sarawak instantly made its claim. Apparently, their 1958 law gives them ownership of the wells under the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“Wakil Rakyat from Tanah Melayu must not sleep and let Sarawak get away with this latest claim. Sarawak is a signatory to the 1974 Agreement with Petronas and is also bound by the law of Sea 2012 (Territorial Sea Act 2012) passed by Parliament. The territorial sea is fixed at 12 nautical miles.
“As for the EEZ, surely the Federation of Malaysia is entitled to the oil found there.
“Will our leaders from Semenanjung dare to engage with Sarawak on the issue? Or are they only good at talking about superficial reforms? When will they start defending the interests of Orang Malaya? I wonder,” said Zaid.
To Sarawak’s right on oil and gas found along its shores, Idris said Sarawak is willing to get a court declaration at the highest level if “the parties wish to”.
Idris who is also Deputy Sarawak Assembly Speaker and Muara Tuang lawmaker said the PDA74 was a politically designed move to boost the economic future of Malaysia in the light of the rise in the oil and gas industry amidst the world petroleum crisis then.
“Sarawak was pinned down ‘to agree’ to the PDA without it being legitimately approved by its State Assembly.
“It was signed only by the then Chief Minister, the late Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub, for a meagre annual five per cent ‘cash consideration’, in order to see some workable arrangement to exploit the O&G in Sarawak for the good of all Malaysia,” said Idris.
He claimed Sarawak was in dire straits because it was then still licking its wounds from the “wars” with the Communist Terrorists and Confrontation with Indonesia, with approximately 90 per cent of its people living below the universal poverty level.
“The Commercial Arrangement Agreement circa 2020 with Petronas was a mutual arrangement diplomatically arrived in order to have a ‘win-win’ situation for both parties and so as not to disrupt the O&G with the already established Petronas presence in Sarawak.
“So my advice to Zaid is, please respect the law as it is, and do not get too emotional so as to lose his sense of legal understanding,” said Idris. — DayakDaily
