By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Feb 24: The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sarawak (ACCCIS) has expressed full support for the Sarawak government’s move to seek a Federal Court ruling on the constitutional validity and applicability of federal legislation governing petroleum resources in the State, stressing that regulatory clarity and constitutional certainty are essential foundations for long-term investment, economic planning, and sustainable development.
As the apex body representing the Chinese business community across Sarawak, ACCCIS described the government’s action as a legitimate and principled step grounded in the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
The clarification, it said, will not only reaffirm Sarawak’s constitutional positions but also strengthen legal certainty over the State’s rights to manage its natural resources within its territorial boundaries.
“For the business community, clarity on the legal and regulatory framework is critical to foster confidence in both upstream and downstream oil and gas activities, attract investments, and support sustainable economic growth,” ACCCIS said in a statement today.
The statement also acknowledged the Sarawak government’s continued efforts to engage constructively with the federal government in seeking an amicable resolution, describing the approach as reflective of responsibility, institutional maturity, and respect for constitutional processes.
The petition, filed in the Federal Court on Monday (Feb 23), challenges the applicability of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA74), the Continental Shelf Act 1966 (CSA66), and the Petroleum Mining Act 1966 (PMA66), following Petroliam Nasional Berhad’s (PETRONAS) move to question the validity of Sarawak’s petroleum laws.
Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the petition seeks judicial affirmation that these federal laws infringe on Sarawak’s rights over offshore oil and gas within the State’s boundaries.
She emphasised that under the MA63 and the associated constitutional instruments, sovereign rights to petroleum resources in Sarawak’s seabed were vested in the State, not the federal government, upon Malaysia Day.
She further cited Item 2(c) of the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which grants the Dewan Undangan Negeri legislative authority to regulate the exercise of petroleum rights through mining leases, certificates, and prospecting licenses.
ACCCIS concluded that it stands firmly behind the Sarawak government in safeguarding the State’s legitimate rights and interests for the long-term prosperity of Sarawak and the Federation. — DayakDaily
