Lawyer calls Petronas’ actions ‘huge slap to Sarawak’
SIBU: Petroliam Nasional Bhd ( Petronas) has been slammed for seeking legal redress on its oil and gas resources in the Federal Court.
On Monday, Petronas filed an application before the Federal Court seeking a declaration on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 being the law applicable for the petroleum industry in Malaysia, including in Sarawak.
“Therefore, the fact that this national oil corporation thinks it is justified to demand such a court declaration from the Federal Court in Putrajaya is a huge slap to Sarawak,” lawyer Priscilla Lau told a press conference yesterday.
Lau said this showed Petronas did not consider Sarawak an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia and that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63) does not matter.
“If Sarawak is an equal partner, as she rightly should be as provided under MA63, then she should have exclusive rights to her seas and the resources thereto.
“To deny Sarawak of her seas and resources is to outright deny the existence of MA63. So if MA63 is invalid, then there will be no Malaysia,” she argued.
According to Lau, Sarawak’s hope of being treated as an equal partner in Malaysia has been set back by Petronas’ actions.
“Being an equal partner is not a mere state of the Federation of Malaysia, but having the right under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to sovereignty over 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone ( EEZ) with respect to natural resources and certain economic activities, and exercise jurisdiction over marine science research and environmental protection,” Lau said.
She added the issue of Sarawak being an equal partner needs no argument as both Barisan Nasional ( BN) and Pakatan Harapan ( PH) had stated this clearly in their election manifestoes.
“Under their manifestoes, one of their order of the day, if in government, would be to restore Sarawak’s status as an equal partner of three ‘negara’ in the Federation of Malaysia,” she said.
Also at the press conference was businesswoman Jamie Tiew.
Both Lau and Tiew stood as Sarawak Peace Party candidates for Lanang and Sibu respectively in the recent parliamentary election.