Premier’s acknowledgment on PDA74 is not surrender, Batu Kitang rep tells Padungan
By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, May 23: Batu Kitang assemblyman Datuk Lo Khere Chiang has strongly defended the Sarawak government’s engagement with the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA74), stressing that acknowledging the federal law does not equate to surrendering Sarawak’s rights, but is instead a strategic move to reclaim them.
Lo took aim at Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen for suggesting that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had recognised the PDA74 at the expense of Sarawak’s autonomy.
“The Premier acknowledges the PDA74 not to legitimise it, but to engage with the reality of its current enforcement within federal structures–contracts, ministries and agencies.
“This is not surrender—it is strategic statecraft. And it is done in the larger interest of ensuring Malaysia remains politically and socially stable while Sarawak reclaims what is rightfully hers,” Lo said in a statement today.
He pointed out that both the Premier and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have admitted the PDA74 is flawed, adding that the Act was never debated or endorsed by the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) and was imposed during the 1974 Emergency without Sarawak’s consent.
He further said Sarawak’s rights are based on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report, and the Federal Constitution, and the PDA74 has no lawful authority in Sarawak unless granted by DUS.
“The PDA74 attempts to centralise what has never been federal: Sarawak’s land, seabed, and petroleum resources.
“It holds no lawful authority in Sarawak unless we, the rightful custodians, grant it. We have not, we will not and we will never grant it,” he added.
On the other hand, Lo highlighted that Sarawak’s engagement with the federal government has yielded tangible results, including PETRONAS recognising Sarawak’s Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and the Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016, and accepting Sarawak’s role as the sole gas aggregator.
“This is not submission—it is a masterstroke. Our Premier is not playing checkers. He is playing chess. And Sarawak is winning, square by square,” Lo emphasised. – DayakDaily
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