MUKAH: The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is an appropriate vehicle to claim back the rights of Sarawak which had been eroded, said Balingian State Assemblyman Abdul Yakub Arbi. “Being the local front with all the Sarawak based parties, GPS is the most appropriate vehicle towards that end especially to continue the agenda of the late Tok Nan who wanted to restore the rights of Sarawak as stated in the the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
We do not know whether the rights were intentionally or unintentionally eroded,” he said here yesterday. He added that that State’s leadership through the four local parties – PBB, PRS, UPP and SUPP – decided to part from Barisan Nasional (BN) for a reason and formed GPS. “It had been too long and we believed that we have to part from BN as a united effort to claim back our rights especially through negotiation,” said Yakub.
He reiterated that among the things included in the claims were Oil and Gas Ordinance and Territorial Sea Act 2012.
“With that we have the power to issue licence to operators engaged in our territories or water, though the fact that Petronas want to fight it with the Petroleum Development Act 1974.
That act used by Petronas was indeed not being passed in the State Assembly Sitting or Cabinet,” he said while speaking at the Minor Rural Project (MRP) grant and Local Community Leaders Appointment Certificates presentation held at Menara Pehin Setia Raja here.
Yakub added that the Land Ordinance was meant to benefit all ethnics especially Native Customary Rights (NCR) Lands. On the MRP grant, he hoped that the recipients would use them wisely for organising activities meant for the benefit of the community.
At the event, he also presented a MRP grant totalling RM47,000 to fifteen bodies, namely school’s parent-teacher associations and mosque including certificate of appointments to eight village and longhouse chiefs.
Also present at the function were Mukah Division Deputy Resident, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Mukah District Officer, Shafrie Saili, Temenggong Haji Hendi Suhai, Pemanca Haji Mohd Jali Kawi, heads of department and local community leaders.
