SIBU: Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Michael Taing in a press statement yesterday said that he concurred and supported the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s earlier stand that Petros will not be a ‘partner’ of the national petroleum company Petronas, but to enjoy its own rights to conduct oil and gas explorations within the state’s territorial waters.
“Sarawak’s boundaries are clearly determined in the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order 1954 by the Queen in Council, and the restriction of three nautical miles as stipulated by the Sea Territorial Act 2012 was unconstitutional, as the same Act was passed without the consent of the Sarawak legislature,” he said.
Tiang emphasised that today Sarawak is the rightful owner of the territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles, and shall therefore enjoy the absolute rights to explore fossil fuel and gas within its own territorial waters.
He also suggested that the Sarawak government should consider to table and enact a new Sarawak Petroleum Ordinance to stipulate that no oil and gas exploration can be conducted within Sarawak territorial waters without obtaining permits from the Sarawak Government.
“The new Ordinance should also give exclusive oil and gas exploration rights in Sarawak territories to Petros, the oil and gas company wholly owned by the Sarawak government, so as to replace Petronas which monopolised the oil and gas upstream industry in Sarawak for decades,” he said.
Tiang also expressed his disagreement over the claims made by Petronas that the national company shall continue to enjoy exclusive rights to conduct oil and gas explorations in Sarawak by virtue of the Petroleum Development Act, 1974.
He explained in his press statement that it is trite in the Federal Constitution that any alteration of any State’s boundaries by the parliament, the consent of such State legislature in concerned must be obtained before any alteration affecting the State can be passed.
However, he said such consent was never obtained from the Sarawak Legislature when the 1974 Act was passed in the Parliament.
Nevertheless, Tiang added that Sarawak will continue to welcome Petronas to participate in oil and gas explorations in Sarawak by joining Petros as a partner or a contractor.
