KUCHING: Oil and gas found physically in the soil and territorial shelf of Sarawak belong to Sarawak and to no one else.
In making this assertion political observer Datuk Peter Minos stressed this is Sarawak’s sole right, legally and morally speaking, and thus it is up to the state to determine how to use its oil and gas wealth.
“If KL (Kuala Lumpur) is not happy and still wants to keep intact and fully enforce the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 , Continental Shelf Act (CSA)1966 and Territorial Sea Act (TSA), it is up to KL to challenge in court.
“It is not for Sarawak to do so. Sarawak, after all can rely on its legal right as spelled out clearly in the Order in Council (OIC) 1954 related to territorial and boundary changes that governs these issues.
“Yes, OIC in 1954 … much earlier than PDA, CSA and TSA,” he said in a statement on Sunday (May 22).
He also said that all dealings with KL and the federal government must be based on genuine fairness and justice and that Sarawak cannot be taken for a ride any longer.
“What is ours, by law or by physical possession, is ours. Full stop. Who is there to say no? Our state and federal constitutions, in various words and terms, clearly say so.
“It is high time for KL and federal people to realise that times have already changed … that Sarawak wants her rights and powers to be restored and returned as soon as possible … that the wrongs of the past must be cured and rectified,” he added.
