Sabah to table Mineral Enactment to legislate its natural resources — CM

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal will be tabling the State's own Mineral Enactment to ensure Sabah has the basis in terms of legislation on matters related to its natural resources.

He told the august House that Sabah does not have an enactment like that, unlike neighbouring Sarawak.

“We can only link it with the Land Enactment but that is limited. We don't have jurisdiction for offshore, for example … we need to create this,” he said.

He added that in order to move forward and strengthen Sabah's position, it was important for the State to have such an enactment in place.

“We need the Mineral Act,” he stressed.

He also said that in the very near future, the Attorney General will be chairing a committee to talk about the matter.

“We need an enactment not just to control export but also on whatever exploration that is carried out in Sabah,” he said, adding that: “If we have the mineral enactment that is comprehensive, I am confident we will benefit.”

“We can enforce whatever law we install in the future so that what is due to us, we can realise,” he said.

“We need to study the law fully so that Sabah has a comprehensive enactment in terms of oil and gas in the future,” he promised.