PETRONAS is a creation by the Malaysian Parliament by way of the Petroleum Development Act 1974(PDA74). Malaysian Parliament is supreme and has the power to pass, amend and repeal laws and therefore, to say PETRONAS disregard the rights of Sabah and Sarawak to the oil and gas resources off the shores of Sabah and Sarawak is legally not correct.

The taking of the oil and gas resources by the Federal government was carefully planned by the federal government led by UMNO. We need to understand that politically, UMNO represents Malaya and it was the work of the few leaders in UMNO that took our oil and gas resources.

Tengku Razalegh Hamzah said he discussed with Razak on how to get finance for UMNO and their focus was oil in Sarawak.

UMNO led by TUNKU Abdul Rahman planned with the British to get Sabah Sarawak and Singapore in 1962 to hand over these British colonies to Malaya under the Malaysia Agreement 1963(MA63) which according to legal experts, is an invalid or illegal Treaty. Sarawak and Sabah were annexed or acquired by Malaya to enlarge Malaya which then took a new name Malaysia effective 16 September 1963.

In that sense are not Sabah and Sarawak colonies of Malaya?

Malaya controls the federal government and parliament and they are empowered to do whatever things they like to their colonies or to countries whom they could treat as colonies. This is politics!

Therefore, to say PETRONAS disregard the rights of Sarawak in this oil and gas resources is legally incorrect. PETRONAS
is only doing things that are allowed under the PDA74

All things been planned to make Sarawak and Sabah as colonies or as part of Malaya inclusive of the taking of our oil and gas resources under PDA74 and to have them vested in the hands of PETRONAS.

Therefore if we're not happy, the solution is to get the federal government to sit down and talk. If issues or demands could not be solved or resolved within a time frame, I suggest there is nothing wrong to demand exit peacefully from the federation of Malaysia like what Singapore did in 1965.

Even if issues concerning the right to oil and gas resources could be resolved now or be taken back by Sabah and Sarawak,there is no guarantee that the federal government may not one day dissolve this right from Sabah and Sarawak.

Voon Lee Shan President Parti Bumi Kenyalang

9 September 2024