By Chris Bishop
KUCHING, July 23: The Sarawak government will pay compensation to the Federal government after Bintulu Port becomes the property of Sarawak.
Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, announced that this agreement pertains specifically to the acquisition of assets.
“Last Wednesday (July 17), the Parliament repealed the Bintulu Port Act (1981) and as a result, Bintulu Port will be handed over to the Sarawak government.
“This is because Sarawak intends to regulate the ports in Sarawak more effectively through the State’s own law which is the ordinance enacted before the establishment of Malaysia—Port Authority Ordinance 1961,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Sarawak Day 2024 Celebration in Bintulu last night (July 22).
Abang Johari added that the power to regulate State ports is also enshrined in the State Supplementary List (List IIA) under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
He thanked the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who has agreed to return Bintulu Port to Sarawak after 43 years under the authority of the Federal government.
The Sarawak Day 2024 Celebration was attended by Sarawak Governor Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Dato Seri Fadillah Yusof; Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian; Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar; Sarawak Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development (M-FICORD) Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom who is the minister responsible for overseeing the celebration and Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki. — DayakDaily
