Don’t do things behind closed doors, Sapa reminds Petros

KUCHING: Petroleum Sarawak Berhad ( Petros) must not be seen as a ‘shadowy organisation’ where behind closed doors, it carries out ‘ backroom deals and ‘ horse tradings’ that may compromise Sarawakians’ interests for political interests, said Sarawak Association for People’s Aspiration ( Sapa) president Lina Soo.

While she commended the Sarawak government for setting up Petros, she stressed that the state government also has a duty to keep Sarawakians who seek information to be fully informed with transparency and accountability.

“The state government must be aware that public sentiment is one of the rising rage against the audacity of the federal government in breaching the Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63) by changing our territorial boundary and using the Petroleum Development Act 1974 ( PDA) and Territorial Sea Act ( TSA) 2012 to steal our resources.

“If the federal government is genuine about restoring Sarawak to equal status, then it must honour the pre- Malaysia boundaries and submit to Sarawak law which existed before the formation of Malaysia,” she told a press conference here yesterday.

She stressed that the most fundamental reason for Sarawak to merge with Malaya, Sabah and Singapore (which left in 1965) to form Malaysia was to develop Sarawak and to bring prosperity and progress to the state.

“But Sarawakians have for the past 50 years suffered the indignity of being robbed of our birthright to our God- given resources and it is insane for Sarawakians to have to suffer this shame and loss of wealth longer.

“We are now at the crossroads to move forward with the courage to be free and independent in our views as matured Sarawakians capable to administer our state’s affairs in a democratic manner or continue to be subjugated as in the past 50 years to plundering forces without a whimper.”

Soo also took the opportunity to respond to a report published in The Borneo Post on Tuesday entitled ‘Common sense approach to enforce oil and gas rights’ where the columnist under the pen name ‘ Oilman- at law’ said that the oil and gas issue should not be politicised.

“It is ridiculous for ‘Oilmanat law’ to suggest that Sarawak’s right to our oil and gas is already a subject of widespread discussion from the coffeeshops to the five-foot way and not to mention in the social media.

“Oil and gas is a major political issue of Sarawak rights and blatant breach of MA63, Sarawak Constitution and Federal Constitution which has resulted in 44 years of poverty and failed development, making Sarawak the poorest and most backward territory,” she remarked.

She said the state government must remain true and committed to resolving the many issues plaguing Sarawakians today, with the need to be polite and politically correct secondary to the need to realise the peoples’ aspiration for economic, political financial freedoms.

“If Sarawakians have to be stif led and silenced on issues which concern our Sarawakians and future generations, then today, the government will have failed in its duty and obligations to which they were elected for.” and