By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 26: Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan has called on the Sarawak government to emulate Terengganu in opposing federal laws that have undermined state control over territorial waters and natural resources.
He highlighted Terengganu’s decisive rejection of the Territorial Sea Act 2012 (TSA 2012), which the state assembly unanimously opposed, citing its infringement on the state’s rights to explore resources and generate revenue within its maritime borders.
“Terengganu has taken the first ‘gunshot’ on this issue, but what has the Sarawak government done so far?
“Terengganu argued that TSA 2012 is non-compliant with the Federal Constitution’s conditions outlined in Article 2(b) and Article 38(4). Yet, if I am not mistaken, we have not heard anything similar from the Sarawak government,” he said in a statement today.
He acknowledged Sarawak’s Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian’s remarks affirming the State’s rights under the Federal and Sarawak Constitutions but questioned the lack of concrete actions taken by the Sarawak government.
Voon identified federal laws, including TSA 2012, the Continental Shelf Act 1966 (CSA 1966), and the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA 1974), as the main factors behind Sarawak and Sabah losing control of their oil and gas resources to Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).
“You either solve or resolve this issue—you cannot leave the matter hanging. There must be a time frame for the Sarawak government to get this settled,” he added. – DayakDaily
