Robert Lau, who is in his second term as a Dewan Negara member, said Petronas in particular must accept that Sarawak is the rightful owner of gas resources within its territory, Dayak Daily reported.

He said Putrajaya had a moral obligation to treat Sarawak fairly since it has contributed more than RM1 trillion to the national economy up to 2014 through its oil and gas resources.

“For 50 years, Petronas and the federal government have reaped immense benefits from Sarawak’s wealth. A ‘thank you’ is overdue, not baseless accusations against Sarawak’s rightful claims,” he was quoted as saying.

Lau was responding to former law minister Zaid Ibrahim, who criticised Stakan assemblyman Hamzah Brahim for warning Putrajaya not to allow Petronas to “contribute to the potential downfall of the Madani government”.

Zaid had said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak assemblyman’s “brutal chastisement” of Petronas was akin to blackmail.

State utility and telecommunication minister Julaihi Narawi defended Hamzah’s remarks, saying they were not a threat or blackmail but simply a legitimate demand grounded in legal rights.

Julaihi said Petronas was belittling and disrespecting Sarawak’s laws by delaying the finalisation of a gas distribution agreement which would see Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) officially recognised as the state’s sole gas aggregator.

In July, Sarawak announced its intention for Petros to take over the buying and selling of gas in the state and set a three-month deadline for Petronas to resolve all distribution issues with the state-owned oil company.

On Oct 31, Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg claimed a deal had been concluded, with Petronas agreeing in principle to Petros serving as the sole gas aggregator for Sarawak.

However, Petronas disputed this, saying discussions were ongoing.

Earlier this month, Abang Johari said he was ready to go to court if any party disrespects Sarawak’s rights as the sole gas aggregator in the state.