A Sarawakian activist has called on the East Malaysian state to “turn off the tap” after decades of contributing billions in oil and gas (O&G) revenue to the federal coffers with little return.
Peter John Jaban of the rights movement Saya Anak Sarawak said it is time to reclaim the state’s rightful control over its natural wealth, Dayak Daily reported.
“We are no longer mere spectators in our own land but the rightful landlords and the final decision-makers,” he was quoted as saying.
Peter called for greater transparency in Sarawak’s petroleum dealings, noting that the state held 60% of Malaysia’s oil reserves and produced more than 90% of its natural gas exports.
He said there was a need to end agreements that have long benefitted a few at the expense of ordinary Sarawakians.
“Corporations must obey our laws, respect our customs, and honour our consent,” he said.
Sarawak is challenging Petronas’s hold over Malaysia’s O&G reserves, as stipulated in the Petroleum Development Act 1974, which gives the national oil company control of the country’s hydrocarbon reserves.
Separately, James Chin, the adviser to the civil society The Sarawak Initiative, said the state’s aspirations for full control over its O&G resources will remain unfulfilled without real political power at the federal level.
Chin said Sarawak and Sabah must, therefore, get 35% of the parliamentary seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
“With that bloc, we can negotiate properly,” he said.
Last month, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said told the lower house that Sarawak secured the lion’s share of Petronas’s upstream investments over the past seven years, receiving RM113.2 billion out of RM256 billion spent nationwide
She also said Sarawak generated the highest upstream revenue for the national petroleum company.
