KUCHING, Jan 25: Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei today questioned the role and function of state-owned oil and gas company Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros).
This was after the national firm Petronas awarded the oil and gas rights for the Beryl gas field off the coast of Miri to Japanese entity JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration in October last year.
Wong said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, who set up Petros, must explain what the state government or Petros have been doing over the last six months after announcing the formation of the company.
Petros was officially formed in August to enable Sarawak to actively participate in the extraction of oil and gas in Sarawak.
The company was supposedly formed as an additional means to secure oil revenue for the state, on top of demands for its oil royalties to be increased to 20 per cent.
“Since a foreign company has won the rights, it is now uncertain on how Petros will participate in or enjoy, if at all, any of the returns generated by the production and sale of the gas from the Beryl field development,” Wong said, adding that this is an exploitation of the state’s resources.
Wong said DAP Sarawak supported the state government’s initiatives and plans to develop Sarawak, believing that it will benefit the people but the state government’s actions must speak louder than words.
“Sarawakians wants execution, not just lip service.”
He lamented that the earlier mentioned incident involving Petros is an example of a failed start, adding that it will not be able to develop competencies to be a real oil and gas player in Sarawak. — DayakDaily
