KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women chief Kho Teck Wan has fired back at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen’s accusations that the state government has surrendered its oil and gas rights to the federal government.
She said if the matter was true, then it will go down in history that the state had lost its rich resources to Putrajaya under the leadership of Pakatan Harapan (PH) where Chong is a member of.
“As a senior member of the state assembly and who is well-versed with state laws, I am puzzled as to why YB Chong did not take the opportunity to advocate for the relevant laws and challenge Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman during the questioning session.
“Why didn’t Chong verify the right there and then in Parliament?” she asked.
Kho’s statement was in response to Chong’s query over the answer given Azalina in Parliament on the agreement between Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros), of which he claimed that Sarawak had once again surrendered its oil and gas rights to Putrajaya.
She went on to say Chong waited until he returned to Sarawak to hold a press conference instead, using the platform to cast blame on the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government.
“His action clearly proves that he is an undedicated people’s representative,” she said.
Kho, who is also the political secretary to the Premier, reminded Chong that it was under the PH administration — where he was a member — that Sarawak faced one of the biggest legal challenges over its oil and gas rights.
“Less than a month after PH took over, on June 4, 2018, Petronas filed an application before the Federal Court seeking clarification that the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA 1974) being the law applicable for petroleum industry in Malaysia, and that Petronas is the exclusive owner of petroleum resources throughout Malaysia including Sarawak,” she said.
She pointed out that Sarawak received overwhelming support from all corners of society to defend its rights, including lawyers from the advocates association who offered themselves to defend Sarawak without fees.
“On the other hand, not a single DAP Sarawak leader stood up to defend Sarawak, despite having strong support during the 14th General Election then. So what can we expect from them now?” she asked.
Kho urged Sarawakians to rally behind the GPS government in protecting Sarawak’s rights—not only in oil and gas matters but also in all rights enshrined under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“The future of Sarawak is in the hands of every Sarawakian,” she said.
