KUCHING: A political analyst said Sarawak has absolute rights over land, forests and minerals in the state and therefore oil and gas found on its property.
Datuk Peter Minos questioned why the Federal government created Petroleum Development Act (PDA) in 1974 and then usurped Sarawak’s rights and interests over its own oil and gas.
“I can only say that the federal government wanted to exploit Sarawak’s oil and gas for the money, billions of it,” he claimed.
The Kota Samarahan Municipal Council chairman who was also formerly with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) claimed that since 1974, the Federal government through PETRONAS made hundreds of billions of ringgits from Sarawak’s oil and gas.
“To me, if Sarawak enjoys benefits and interests from its own land, forests and minerals, by natural rights and by history and heritage backed by the laws, it logically follows that Sarawak must and ought to enjoy benefits from its own oil and gas resources.
“Any law, like the PDA, that takes away Sarawak’s rights to exploit and enjoy its own natural resources, that law is not only unfair but also unjust,” he said.
He stressed that the alleged action was, “Unfair to Sarawak that needs the money from oil and gas for growing and progressing and catching up with the more advanced Malaya.
“Unjust because PDA does not recognise and appreciate the legal and other inherent rights of Sarawak over its own natural resources and the aspirations and needs of all in Sarawak,” he said.
Minos pointed out that any law, however created or obtained, and found to be unfair and unjust deserved to be abolished and not observed or respected. – Bernama
