Jeffrey
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state government is eyeing a similar deal with Petronas after the Sarawak government signed a commercial agreement on the issues involving the state’s sales tax and oil mining laws with the national oil corporation on Monday.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the state government will pursue the matter and make the necessary arrangement to ensure Sabah will also sign a similar deal with Petronas as the two Bornean states have the same rights and circumstances.
He added that such deal would help boost the economic development in Sabah and speed up its rural industrialisation which is desperately lacking compared to Peninsular Malaysia.
Most importantly, he said this deal would further strengthen ties between the federal and the state, fulfil outstanding federal commitments and ensure continued support for the current PN government.
The agreement allows the Sarawak government, through its subsidiary Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros), to play a bigger role in the oil and gas industry through cooperation with Petronas.
Jeffrey who is also the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president said the agreement shows Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s continued commitment and sincerity in giving Sabah and Sarawak their rights as stipulated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Kudos also to the Sarawak government for reclaiming their rights. It is no secret that the Sarawak government had been doing all the heavy lifting in this fight and we are grateful for their efforts,” he said in a statement today.
The signing of the agreement in Kuala Lumpur witnessed by Muhyiddin and Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg,
Amongst others the agreement provides Sarawak with a greater share of revenue from oil and gas found and produced in the state, and also more active involvement by the state in the oil and gas industry through the management of onshore oil and gas resources by Petros and investment by Petros in the upstream ventures in offshore areas.
Petronas president and group chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz said that under the landmark commercial settlement agreement, both Petronas and the state government agreed to establish a consultative framework to enhance collaboration through a structured and formalised avenue comprising a Joint Coordination Committee and an Annual Strategic Dialogue.
Jeffrey, who is also a well-known Sabah rights activist, also vowed the GRS-led Sabah government will not assume the wait-and-see attitude of the previous Warisan government in reclaiming the states’ rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“We will work closely with the Sarawak government in our aim to ensure all the rights under the MA63 are fulfilled and correct all the breaches which have been accumulating over the decades,” he concluded.
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