KUCHING: Sarawak has no intention of destroying PETRONAS or its role in Malaysia’s energy sector, but fears that the “goose may one day stop laying golden eggs” if resources are not managed sustainably.
State Legal Counsel, Datuk Seri JC Fong, said Sarawak wanted its gas resources to be retained for local use to fuel growth and improve the welfare of households.
He pointed out that 65 per cent of Malaysia’s gas reserves were located within Sarawak, yet 94 per cent was liquefied and exported to Japan, Korea and China.
“We in Sarawak have no intention of killing any goose that lays the golden egg. Our concern is that the goose in future may not lay any more eggs.
“We want our gas to be used sustainably. We want the gas that we have to propel our state’s economic growth and to be used by the people so they can enjoy at least some free gas for cooking.
“We can eventually dispense with all the cylinders. And that is the vision,” he said in his talk entitled ‘62 Years after MA63: The Emergence of a Progressive and Prosperous Sarawak’.
He was speaking at the forum ‘Future Economy of Sarawak: Oil & Gas Economy, e-Invoicing, GST versus SST’ held at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak today.
The former state attorney-general said the imbalance between exports and local needs prompted the state government to appoint PETROS as the gas aggregator for Sarawak.
He explained that the mandate covered allocation, distribution, supply and sale of gas to all industries, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants operating in Bintulu.
Fong added that the aggregator role was also designed to expand and strengthen Sarawak’s gas distribution network for long-term domestic and industrial growth.
“While Sarawak continues to invest in LNG plants and benefit from export earnings, the LNG market remains volatile.
“To protect our economy, Sarawak and Malaysia need industries that can sustain our well-being even when global energy prices fall,” he stressed.
