KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg has vowed to pursue the rights of regulatory power on oil and gas in the state.
“This is why we formed Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to have that independent position as said by the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem; Malaysia won’t be there if Sabah and Sarawak didn’t help to form Malaysia.
“We helped to form Malaysia, so we have set safeguards which are the basis of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as well as within the Federal Constitution.
“I will pursue it as we just passed a bill to update the Oil Mining (Amendment) Bill 2018 that will give us certain power in the oil and gas industry,” he said during the launching of a book titled, ‘Deals, Datus, and Dayaks: Sarawak and Brunei in the Making of Malaysia’ written by Michael Leigh here yesterday.
On the book, Abang Johari pointed out that there were numerous records that the people of Sarawak should read to understand what actually happened.
“Together with other books, you can refer to them on the political scenario in this region at that time.
“In this regard, we are very conscious of our rights and the leaders of Sarawak will pursue these rights within the context of MA63 as well as the context of Malaysia,” he said.
He assured that this did not mean opting out of the Federation but instead each individual territory must be respected.
“The leaders of Malaysia must be conscious and I believe that it will be the basis for us to have a happy Malaysia,” he said.
‘Deals, Datus, and Dayaks: Sarawak and Brunei in the Making of Malaysia’ tells the story of Malaysia’s formation and its early struggle for survival.
