By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Jan 28: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Youth Central has urged the Federal Government to act consistently, noting that while Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has publicly acknowledged Sarawak’s rights and recognised Sarawak Petroleum Berhad (PETROS) as the State’s gas aggregator, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) has simultaneously taken the Sarawak Government to court over the oil and gas issue.
SUPP Youth Central raised the query that if Anwar’s position is the Federal government’s stand, why PETRONAS which is under the Federal government continues to pursue legal action against the Sarawak government.
“Such actions risk undermining the Prime Minister’s commitment and create doubts among Sarawakians as to whether the Federal Government genuinely respects Sarawak’s constitutional position (in oil and gas matters),” said SUPP Youth Central in a press release.
The press release was made following the statement of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman who was of the view that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) grants Sabah and Sarawak broader autonomy as founding partners of Malaysia but does not contain any provisions governing the ownership, management or regulation of oil and gas resources.
SUPP Youth Central reiterated that Sarawak’s oil and gas rights cannot be casually dismissed simply because the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) does not spell them out word for word.
“Firstly, MA63 is a founding covenant, not an ordinary document. Its spirit was to establish Malaysia with Sarawak, Sabah, Singapore and Malaya as equal partners.
“As an equal partner, Sarawak’s inherent rights over its land and natural resources must be respected.
“Any narrow or selective interpretation that ignores the historical intent and constitutional significance of MA63 is unacceptable and undermines the spirit on the formation of Malaysia,” said SUPP Youth Central.
Secondly, they pointed out that Sarawak’s laws continue to carry constitutional weight. The Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 (OMO 1958) was enacted by Sarawak’s legislature prior to the formation of Malaysia.
“This affirms that Sarawak constitutionally retains jurisdiction over oil and gas within its territory. Therefore, Sarawak’s rights, state laws and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report must be fully respected and upheld,” said SUPP Youth Central.
They held that what Sarawakians seek is fair resource distribution, constructive cooperation and long-term stability — not prolonged litigation that strains federal–state relations.
To them, Sarawak’s oil and gas rights are safeguarded by history, law and constitutional principles.
“SUPP Youth Central urges the Federal Government to support negotiation, not confrontation; uphold partnership, not division; respect Sarawak’s constitutional rights in both words and action,” said the statement. —DayakDaily
