Azalina didn’t verify
Abang Jo’s comments on
Petros issue, says ex-S’wak
AG
JC Fong says there is no evidence the premier agreed to accept that the Petroleum Development Act 1974 governs Sarawak’s petroleum industry.
He said Azalina was not present at the meeting between Abang Johari and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This made her comments in Parliament hearsay.
“There is no evidence as to whether the premier had agreed that Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) can only distribute 6% of the gas. She was not at the meeting.
“What she said in Parliament is hearsay. She should have had the courtesy to refer to Abang Johari or the premier’s office to determine what he has agreed to,” he said during a forum titled “Fifty Shades of Federalism” at the Subang National Golf Club today.
On Feb 12, Abang Johari said there were still matters to be resolved between Petronas and Petros on the issue of oil and gas rights in Sarawak.
He said there were still some “grey areas” both parties must look into, but a resolution was in sight.
“There is a sense of finality, but some grey areas remain due to misinformation.
“In reality, the situation is clear, but misinformation has muddied the waters,” he said.
The Sarawak premier’s comments came after Azalina said in Parliament Sarawak had accepted that the Petroleum Development Act 1974, not state ordinances, dictates the operation of Malaysia’s petroleum sector after a meeting was held between Anwar and Abang Johari on Jan 7.
Azalina said Petronas accepted Petros’s role as Sarawak’s sole gas aggregator, excluding liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Fong said Sarawak was still engaging the federal government on this matter and the state “knows a way forward that would not hurt Petronas”.
He said Sarawak held the rights to distribute oil and gas, as enshrined under two exemption orders signed under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 discussions during previous federal administrations.
Fong also spoke out against narratives that depicted Sarawak’s efforts to consolidate its oil and gas rights as attempts to undermine Petronas.
“It’s not true. Petronas is still in charge of manufacturing and exporting LNG.
“It is weird to say that a Fortune 500 company would be getting into (big) trouble if they lost one business (deal) in Sarawak.
“All these narratives are not good for national integration and unity. Sarawakians love Malaysia and Sarawak in equal measure,” he added.
Fong also said the gas produced in Sarawak is not utilised sustainably, as 94% of it is exported to Japan and Korea.
He said retaining natural gas for local use would facilitate the implementation of the Sarawak Gas Roadmap.
“We would use this gas to generate power and transmit electricity to Peninsular Malaysia, where gas reserves could be fully depleted by 2032,” he said.
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