Petronas suit: Sabah’s position different – Liew
SANDAKAN: Sabah's position is different from Sarawak vis-a-vis the suit filed by Petronas seeking a declaration on the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974, as we need to emphasize our special rights and circumstances in relation to Sarawak, said Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) permanent chairman, Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
Liew said Sabah would need to bring up the issue of the exchange of Blocks L and M with Brunei, which does not involve Sarawak, and the issue of the overlapping oil fields with Indonesia in Sabah waters that are now being operated by Petronas, but had yet to settle the issue on production sharing.
“We must also address the environmental issue in the event of any oil spills, for which Sarawak has its own law to deal with the matter, which we in Sabah do not have. Undoubtedly, tourism activities may also be affected by the mining and drilling activities.
“I have no doubt that the State Attorney General will monitor the Petronas suit in the Federal Court closely, and will advise the Warisan-led government on the proper cause of action, if necessary,” he said.
Liew remarked that Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president, Datuk Teo Chee Kang's statement urging the Warisan-led state government to intervene in the Petronas suit in the Federal Court is nothing more than a selfserving statement that is best seen as superfluous.
“He (Teo) should reflect on when he was in the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government previously, where he was hardly seen as being proactive in his approach to protect the interests of the community in his constituency, much less the interests of Sabahans as a whole,” Liew claimed.
“Teo, who was once a state cabinet minister in the Sabah BN government, had not taken a stand nor spoken out about all the economic leakages, irregularities in the administration of (former Chief Minister) Tan Sri Musa Aman's government and the alleged corruption involving hundreds of millions of ringgit in the previous administration.
“Teo led his political party to a disastrous outing in the recent concluded general election, and he should take full responsibility instead of issuing press statements in an attempt to make himself relevant, politically speaking,” Liew said.
Meanwhile, Liew highlighted that in less than 100 days in power, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal has taken several reported measures to protect the interests of the people by, among others, banning exportation of timber to create job opportunities in our downstream industries.
“Our CM is also moving towards protecting Sabah's rights not only in oil and gas but also in maritime resources. In this respect, the matters to be addressed include the Fisheries Act, the Continental Shelf Act, the Shipping Ordinance 1954 of Malaya and Ordinance of Sabah and Sarawak 1960, our Environment Ordinance, Tourism and the Territorial Seas Act. Then there is also the 40% revenue which Sabah alone is entitled to.
“Warisan is consistent with its election manifesto and will fulfil the pledges made given the time. We, in Sabah, are in control of our own affairs unlike the previous Sabah BN government.
“I urge the people of Sabah not to be easily misled by some defeated ex-BN leaders who are out to sow discord and distrust between the people and the very young Warisan-led government,” Liew added.