PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak government has laid claim to six newly-discovered oil and gas fields by Petronas, with deputy premier Dr Sim Kui Hian saying the state has ownership rights to the fields under a 1958 state law.
He said the Sarawak premier, Abang Johari Openg, would soon hold discussions with Petronas on the new discoveries, with matters such as business collaboration and distribution of equity and income to be raised, Borneo Post reported.
“We (Sarawak government) firmly believe that oil and gas resources within 200 nautical miles of Sarawak belong to the state,” he was quoted as saying.
“This is clearly stipulated under the colonial-era Oil Mining Ordinance 1958. Moreover, these oil fields and other natural resources were discovered in the territory of Sarawak, so they belong to Sarawak.”
The discovery of the six oil wells was announced by Petronas Carigali in July. The company said they were in five blocks off the coast of Sarawak: the Gedombak well and the Mirdanga well in the Balingian province of the continental shelf; Sinsing, Machinchang, Pangkin and Kalung Emas in the West Luconia province.
Sim said Petronas, which made US$88.3 billion in total revenue last year, managed to make a profit of US$22.5 billion after paying taxes to Sarawak. He also pointed out that more of Petronas’s revenue comes from its oil and gas business in Sarawak.
Speaking at a lunch for China’s ambassador to Malaysia, Ouyang Yujing, the deputy premier said Sarawak was on its way to becoming the largest economy in Malaysia.
He said other states had recorded relatively lower revenue compared to Sarawak.
For example, Sabah’s revenue was about RM6 billion while Selangor’s was RM4 billion, compared with Sarawak, which has reached RM12 billion per year.
“To achieve more, Sarawak must continue to cultivate talents to keep a strong momentum of development,” added Sim. - FMT
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