Malaysia Mirror | Wednesday, 05 May 2010
KUCHING – The question of sovereignty concerning the state of Sarawak and the oil-rich Blocks L and M, which were signed away to Brunei, was raised by DAP state assemblyman for Bukit Assek Wong Ho Leng on Tuesday.
In a media statement, Wong, who is DAP Sarawak chairperson, questioned the role of the Sarawak government on this issue and why the Federal government did not consult the state government.
Wong called for a detailed explanation from the state government as to whether it was aware of such “trades” involving Limbang and Blocks L and M.
He said the state government needs to clarify immediately whether it has neglected the interest of Sarawakians by giving up the jurisdiction on the two disputed oil-rich blocks to the Federal government.
“If the oil-producing areas are located well within the territory of Sarawak, the Federal government would have to obtain the consent of the Sarawak state government, and the state government would have to give consent to the state assembly,” he said.
SUPP “marginalised”
He said the second provision of the Federal Constitution states: “If the Federal government is to change the state’s borders, it must obtain the consent of the state in order to do so.”
“If you recall, when the Federal government sought to establish Putrajaya as its own Federal territory, the Selangor government took this step and gave consent by consulting its own state assembly first, before making the huge decision,” he said.
Wong claimed that the BN government “had completely marginalised SUPP in its negotiations, and SUPP is powerless in its position to be involved”.
He said SUPP is not at all capable to be the state government if its unawareness of the negotiation had led to the ceding of Malaysian sovereignty of the two disputed blocks to Brunei.
He also questioned the previous Abdullah administration for reaching an agreement with the Brunei government to give away the oil sovereignty which “is tantamount to giving up part of its own territory.”
Revealed by Mahathir
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last week revealed that the two disputed oil-rich blocks are no longer rightfully owned by Malaysia which had incurred a possible loss in excess of up to RM320 billion.
Dr M had also accused his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of giving away these rights to oil earnings for the exchange of Limbang in Sarawak. Both the Block L and M are situated offshore near Limbang.
Up till now, the Brunei government has not made it clear regarding its stand on the territorial disputes involving Limbang, according to Wong’s statement.
“Sarawakians deserve to know the truth about the handover of offshore oil blocks L and M to Brunei last March,” said Wong.
Wong said he would raise the issue at the May 17 state assembly with two other Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen. — Malaysian Mirror
UMNo first and Rakyat last………
UMNO gave the land rights to Brunei, and Brunei then entered into an agreement with UMNO to plant rambutan trees on a commercial basis.
What a bunch of stupeed knuckleheads. No wonder they have Ibrahim Katak to champion their rights.
Malaysians, wake up! Bunch of BN/UMNO suckers have been selling you off…
They, bunch of suckers, gave away Island and signed off oil wells to Singapore and Brunei, respectively.
Pretty soon, our pussit-kat PM is going to deal off more sea beds with oil and Islands to Indonesia and Philippine… Why you guys keep feeding these bunch of suckers and fat pigs for nuts?
Vote PR for a change with newly vibrant Malaysia. Malaysia ought to have a change after 50 years of ripping offs. Our Hanjin Chengho just returned back from Pie/Cake sharing with our Porn Star MCA chairman over 3Millions. He seems to be pretty happy by calling LKS as Uncle Kit. What a cunning tongue?
Mamakthir was able to be head of government for that long because the majority of the voters never think. He was able to sidestep issue and divert attention as he pleased. In the present case, it is clear as daylight that Malaysia never truly owned the two blocks CA1 and CA2, but mamakthir was able to make people believe that they belong to Malaysia just because mamakthir considered it a good move to sign contract with a foreign oil company. That is how quarrels between countries got started, and there cannot be peace when border issues set one against another.
The two blocks were not anybody’s territory before the law of sea came in force in the 1980s. After the LOS, the two blocks being closest to Brunei than Sabah and Sarawak are in Brunei economic zone . It is just because Brunei could not win a war against Malaysia that Malaysians might take the view that the claim does no harm to the country. What if that is how Indonesia deals with us?
The government might be practising double standards all this while, but the action taken by AAB to settle disputes introducced by mamakthir was commendable. The person who had made Malaysia Zimbabwe the second is now trying to install his son on the Malaysian throne. Malaysians should not dignify a bullying action even when it can’t lose. We have to honour righteousness.
Block L and M could be in Sabah waters not Sarawak. The deal was for Sarawak to retain Limbang while Sabah gives away the two blocks.
Anyways, the two states are not complaining…yet, so they must be happy about it.
Could it be that anything beyond 3 nautical miles of shore belongs to the central government a la Kelantan and Terengganu?
Whichever the case, its an issue of giving up sovereignty and this involves approval by Parliament and the Rulers. But it would appear that the Cabinet is above everything as they approved it.
So continue to hound Najib, Pak Lah and Co. for a full account. The people is entitled to know.
“If Malaysia did not have the claim over the sovereign rights at all, then how could Petronas have awarded the Production Sharing Contracts to its subsidiary and Murphy Oil in the first place?
To me, this matter must be investigated thoroughly.
If Malaysia and Brunei had claimed both blocks as their own, then the matter must be settled through the ICJ (like how we had won Sipadan Island, but lost Pulau Batu Putih)”……….
As a great leader Najib definitely will resolve this issues…..
1. Johor sold to Singapore
2. The rest of Malaya given free to Indonesia
///Oil sovereignty: Why Sarawak not consulted?/// (Kit)
That is blatant lack of transparency – unfortunately that is BN’s way of doing things. Not only Sarawak had to be consulted but also the government must inform the rakyat of the transfer of sovereignty.
All this n that matters’re caused by what NR said “lebih kurang.cincai cincai,suka suka”attitudes which these umnoputras possess.Beh tahan!
If Wong Ho Leng of DAP Sarawak wants to question/probe why Blocks L and M were given away to Brunei may be its not a good starting point to talk about Federal Constitution and how if the Federal government is to change the state’s borders, as it did for Putrajaya it must obtain the consent of the state in order to do so (as it obtained from Selangor state govt/assembly). This is because Blocks L and M are at sea and not exactly on land within state borders.
Maybe the better starting points are:-
1. Sarawak has interest in oil royalties where its territorial waters extend beyond 3 nautical miles due to Queen Elizabeth declaration in 1954 – per what ex- Sarawak’s CM Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub said in relation to the controversy involving Ku Li’s championing of Kelantan’s rights to oil royalty.
2. the ‘relative’ traditional independence of Sarawak state government’s management of its economic resources. For example Wong has to enquire if Oil and Gas in Blocks L & M come within purview of Sarawak’s own Ministry of Public Utilities. Which other state has got its own Ministry of Public Utilities?? Take for example electricity – both Sabah Electricity Supply Berhad in Sabah and our Tenaga Nasional Berhad in Peninsula are regulated by our Electricity Supply Act 1990 and come under jurisdiction of Federal Minister of Energy Comunications and Multimedia and its apparatus the Energy Commission of Malaysia – but not Sarawak or its supplier Syarikat SESCO Berhad, regulated by its own electricity legislations and accountable only to Sarawak’s Ministry of Public Utilities.
The point of this is Sarawak is relatively independent from Federal control on management of certain natural resourecs of hers.
So maybe Wong should find out if oil and gas come under purview of Sarawak’s own Ministry of Public Utilities, if so, since it affects Sarawak’s royalties, whether Taib’s state administration knew about this alleged cessation of Blocks L & M by Federal Govt and consented to it.
This of course fundamentally assumes that Blocks L & M were, by international law especially Laws of the Seas, under our sovereignty in the first place for the primary question of their cessation to Brunei and the further ancillary questions of the legality/regularity/accountability and transparency of the cessation to arise next.
johnnypok,
from which plane u come from; so out of dated..
johnnypok supports change of government….before Malaysia was born……hahahahahahahaha
HI Nicompoop, Limbang belongs to us. Brunei can claim whatever it wants and we can engage them to endless talks if that is what they want.
With Limbang belonging to us, the 200 nautical miles off the coast of Brunei is subjected to review. How come we can claim the Ambalat sea off Sabah’s east coast and yet when coming to dealing with Brunei we are so docile. What about using the continental shelf concept? The ball size country obviously cannot have so much power. It is not just whether Sarawak has the right to dispute this deal, other states within the Federation also have the same right.
Please, the resident odd ball, i am not refering to you.
Simple, in Brunei, the Sultan can issue payment without asking anybody. in Malaysia, we have Petornas, whose income though can still be squandered but open too many questions. Sultan of Brunei need answer to nobody so dealing with him is more convenience and faster!
no need to sell Johor to Singapore , all of Malaya states should be given free to either Indonesia or Singapore
WHL must b very naive 2 think dat UmnoBputras needed 2 consult Sarawak b4 signing away Blocks L and M 2 Brunei
To UmnoBputras, this land is their land n they can do anything they want, comprenez vous
If not, pora – cos many dumb voters kept voting UmnoB/BN 2 power, ha ha
Voters are not dumb. Serahawak has a big land mass but comparatively has less developments. This is one reason. Ringgit Malaysia is desperately needed. Second reason. Ringgit Malaysia is needed to grease these types of developments. It is not that Serahawakians do not know. It is an open secret or rather an open but silent knowledge. Don’t believe. Just walk into any kopitiams. Talk to the ordinary Serahawakians. Listen to what they have to say. When there is a big event, it does not seem to make sense that some royal figure is around but now it makes sense because somehow, somewhere Serahawak or Malaysia owes him something or vice versa. Serahawakians do not need to know what is the kind of rubbish swept under the carpet. Outwardly things already look fishy. If Serahawak is really not consulted, you guys will have a first account of Serahawak navy ships shooting at the illegal entry of Bruneian boats or materials need to drill for oil.
About the trade off in oil Blocks and Limbang, there maybe constitutional issues which should best be dealt with in the Courts once and for all.
What is actually sacrificed – land and oil or just oil?
So it is worthy to bring this to the Courts for declaration of the validity of the Petroleum Development Act which is against public interest as Parliament has no control over the oil resources which is in the hands of the Prime Minister since 1974. So let the Courts decide if there is a treason or not in this case or is it simply abuse of power per see or otherwise?
Actually PDA is unconstitutional by itself.
I am prepared to be a plaintiff..
I had lodged two Police Reports on PDA and Petronas.
Joshua Kong
The West Malaysian politicians dont care a damn what the East Malaysia natives esp the Sarawakians say and do. To them, they are naive, dumb dumb and can be bought by a pittance.
So it was no surprise that sleepy, flip-flop lame duck guy ceded the oil fields to a foreign country.
Now that someone is enjoying all the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ with his so called “beloved” second half in their million $$$$$ yatch somewhere in paradise… Who cares!!
If the Sarawakians do not wake up, now, they will find themselves a foreigner in their own state.
Only PR/PAS/PKR can bring back their rights.
Come Sibu election, vote PKR at all cost.
Pulau Batu Puteh _Status: lose to Singapore
Block L & Block M of Sarawak_Status: Lose to Brunei
Sibu? -Status : Unknown
If Sibu ‘suddenly’ become part of Indonesia under the Barisan Nasional Government, what will be its possible new name and address?
Kecamatan:Sibu-Rinda, Kabupaten:Kapuas Hulu, Provinsi : Kalimantan Barat, Republik Indonesia?
At the rate that ruling govt is doing things without proper consent via Parliament, it is timely for the people to look into NEW govt, come GE13. There is so much of “unaccountability” issues. One fine day, we may wake up and see “foreigners” in our land, and said we are no longer Malaysians. So scarily. We need to vote for a “CHANGE” soon.