By DayakDaily Team
SERIAN, Dec 1: Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has called on Sarawakians, particularly members of the party, to rally behind Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in protecting Sarawak’s rights over its continental shelf.
Speaking at the opening of the Balai Ringin PBB branch meeting at the Serian Convention Centre today, Uggah emphasised that the rights over Sarawak’s seabed and continental shelf are fundamental and non-negotiable.
Citing Abang Johari during the recent Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting, Uggah said Sarawak’s seabed and topsoil, originally Crown land under the 1958 Land Code, became the property of the Sarawak government upon Malaysia’s formation in 1963.
This is explicitly provided for under Article 47(2) of the Sarawak Constitution as incorporated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Furthermore, he clarified that neither the MA63 nor the United Kingdom’s Malaysia Act transferred the land in Sarawak’s continental shelf to the Federation or Federal Government.
He also highlighted that Sarawak’s boundaries, protected under Article 2 of the Federal Constitution, cannot be altered without the Sarawak legislature’s approval.
“We have some quarters now questioning our rights. They are envious of what our Premier has done and will do, all in Sarawak’s interest and well-being,” Uggah said.
Uggah who is the Deputy Premier of Sarawak and Bukit Saban assemblyman, proposed that PBB branches adopt resolutions supporting the Premier’s stance during the party’s upcoming convention in February 2025.
“We must show to all that our Premier has the very explicit support of all Sarawakians in protecting Sarawak’s rights,” he added.
During the event, Uggah expressed gratitude to outgoing branch chairman Petrus Igat Mathias for his contributions and welcomed Senator Susan Chemerai Anding as his successor. — DayakDaily
