By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 26: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan has called on the Sarawak government to completely reject any collaboration with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) regarding the State’s oil and gas resources, including hydrocarbon.
Voon asserted that any form of cooperation with PETRONAS would be perceived by Sarawakians as a betrayal of trust and a contradiction to the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government’s “Sarawak First” political ideology.
Instead, he argued, such collaboration would be seen as prioritising Malaya’s interests over Sarawak’s.
“You can say what belongs to Sarawak should belong to Sarawak—no more, no less. But if you allow any door to be opened to PETRONAS to collaborate on hydrocarbon resources, this will indicate that the Sarawak government is recognising the validity of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA74),” he said in a statement today.
Voon further criticised PETRONAS chief executive officer (CEO) Tengku Tan Sri Muhammad Taufik’s recent statement asserting that PDA74 must govern Sarawak’s oil and gas resources, calling it an affront to Sarawak’s rights.
He maintained that PDA74 was enacted under emergency circumstances and should be considered null and void.
Additionally, he argued that the formation of Malaysia itself was based on an invalid Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), rendering all subsequent laws passed by Parliament—including PDA74—legally ineffective in Sarawak and Sabah.
“The Sarawak government has so far failed to take steps to repeal PDA74 and instead appears to recognise its coexistence with the Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 (OMO),” Voon added.
He cited legal experts who believe that PDA74 is unconstitutional and cannot coexist with OMO.
“PDA74 is an unconstitutional Act, but, until it is repealed, it shall remain a good excuse for PETRONAS and for the federal government to claim rights over the oil and gas resources that belonged to Sarawak,” he stressed.
Voon also claimed that Sarawak is losing over RM100 billion annually due to crude oil extraction by PETRONAS. He referenced a 2017 disclosure by PETRONAS that an average of 850,000 barrels of crude oil is extracted from Sarawak daily.
He urged the Sarawak government to take decisive action to reclaim full control over the State’s oil and gas resources, warning that any compromise would continue to cost Sarawak billions in lost revenue.
During announcement of PETRONAS’ financial performance for 2024 in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (Feb 25), Muhammad Taufik stated that the national oil corporation remains open to collaborating with Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) on the State’s hydrocarbon resources.
While awaiting the details to be agreed upon by both parties before proceeding with the materialisation of all working arrangements, he reiterated that the PDA74 must remain the foundation of any arrangement.
“The PDA 1974 needs to prevail, must prevail, and indeed should prevail. As the federal Act governing oil and gas activities, it has facilitated over four decades of stable investment.”
He also emphasised the need to carefully balance the interests of Malaysia and Sarawak. — DayakDaily
