Bintulu: DAP has consistently supported all genuine efforts that help realise Sarawak’s rightful interests, including Sarawak’s oil and gas rights, said DAP Bintulu Branch Chairman Chiew Chan Yew.
Reiterating DAP’s longstanding position on petroleum rights, Chiew noted that as early as 1976, DAP leader Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang had opposed the Petroleum Development Act in Parliament.
“At the time, Lim had warned that centralising Sarawak’s petroleum resources under federal control would undermine the state’s economic autonomy and affect the long-term interests of its people.
“DAP would continue to uphold a position grounded in rationality, institutional integrity, and principles,” he said in responding to the Sarawak Government’s move to file a case at the Federal Court to clarify the constitutional status of petroleum resources.
Chiew said Sarawak’s sovereignty, especially its petroleum rights concerns, history, institutional arrangements and the long-term future of its people, must therefore be addressed seriously and responsibly.
However, he expressed regret that the judicial action, which should have been initiated much earlier, is only being pursued with urgency just months before the state election.
“This timing inevitably raises public questions about its motives and intent,” he said in a statement.
Chiew emphasised that the issue of petroleum sovereignty did not arise today; it is a longstanding structural issue that has existed for decades.
“Unfortunately, such major issues are often amplified and politicised in the lead-up to elections as tools to mobilise voters, only to be quietly set aside afterwards without consistent or institutional follow-through.
“For Sarawak’s sovereignty, what the people want are stable, clear, and sustainable institutional outcomes. Sovereignty is not about slogans; it must be realised in policy, law, and fiscal structures so that the people can genuinely benefit,” he said.
He pointed out that since the landslide victory of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the 18 December 2021 state election, more than four years have passed, with the ruling coalition now holding 80 out of 82 seats in the State Legislative Assembly.
“With such a strong political mandate and administrative resources, the issue of petroleum sovereignty, which goes to the heart of Sarawak’s fundamental interests, should have been addressed through institutional and legal measures from the outset, rather than being delayed until now,” he said.
Chiew questioned what substantive progress had been achieved over the past four years, arguing that, beyond rhetoric, structural issues concerning Sarawak’s resource governance remain unresolved.
He added that GPS is also a key component of the Federal Unity Government, with 11 Sarawakian ministers and deputy ministers, including a Deputy Prime Minister.
Given this position, he said, there should have been stronger coordination and negotiation between the federal and state governments to secure clearer, fairer resource rights without resorting to litigation.
Chiew, therefore, urged Sarawak’s federal ministers, deputy ministers, and the Deputy Prime Minister to take a more proactive role in securing the state’s oil and gas rights through cabinet-level action and inter-ministerial coordination.
“The issue of petroleum sovereignty should not be limited to political posturing or confined solely to legal battles.
“Sarawak’s sovereignty should not be manipulated according to political cycles but must be addressed based on long-term national institutional arrangements and federal-state relations,” he said.
He also called on both the Federal Government and the Sarawak Government to demonstrate sincerity and determination in addressing the matter, in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution, and to work towards a fairer and more transparent framework for resource governance.
