KUCHING: A government backbencher on Tuesday brushed aside opposition DAP’s willingness to work with the state government to push for a 30 per cent stake in Petronas, calling it a distraction.
In dismissing it as rhetoric, Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap called attention to ongoing efforts by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) members of parliament to regain Sarawak’s legal rights and interests in the oil and gas sector.
“If Dapsy is serious about fighting for Sarawak’s rights, they should first push their 40 MPs to speak out on Sarawak’s rightful authority over oil and gas, as enshrined in the Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and the Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016,” he asserted.
Yap was reacting to the recent statement by Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy), which expressed the party’s willingness to collaborate with GPS, particularly the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), to push for a 30 per cent stake in Petronas.
He maintained that GPS has been at the forefront of ensuring Sarawak’s control over its resources and that efforts should be focused on compelling Petronas and all industry players to respect state laws rather than engaging in political posturing.
“There is no need for Dapsy to further confuse Sarawakians,” he said.
“The GPS government has made it very clear that Petronas must recognise Petros to facilitate Sarawak’s own gas exploration and distribution initiatives,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
Yap stressed that all oil and gas companies, including Petronas, must comply with Sarawak’s laws, including regulations under the Sarawak Land Code, the state’s sales tax policies, and licensing requirements under the Oil Mining Ordinance.
Criticising DAP’s approach, he pointed out that despite having 40 MPs in parliament compared to GPS’ 23, DAP had not pressured Petronas to acknowledge Petros’ role in the state’s gas sector.
In this context he said the Sarawak government has always emphasised that Petronas must recognise the establishment of Petros as the state’s sole gas aggregator, ensuring Sarawak’s authority over its own oil and gas resources.
