Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin said Sarawak was not demanding the entire oil and gas revenue, the Borneo Post reported.
“Only a win-win solution for mutual prosperity,” he was quoted as saying when debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Willie also urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to use his absolute powers under the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 to rectify the imbalances in regard to Sarawak’s oil and gas rights.
He said one such imbalance was the fact that 94% of the total 4.5 billion standard cubic feet per day of natural gas production in Sarawak is exported abroad by Petronas.
Only 6% is used for the energy, industrial, and domestic sectors in Sarawak, he said.
In comparison, two billion standard cubic feet per day of natural gas produced in West Malaysia is channelled entirely for domestic use, Willie said.
“Is this fair for Sarawak? Why can’t Petros manage a portion of this 94% to increase domestic gas usage?” he said, referring to the state’s sole gas aggregator.
“If it can, this would strengthen downstream industries, boost Sarawak’s economy, create more jobs, and generate more tax revenue for the country.”
Willie also said he backed the Sarawak government’s proposal to reorganise the roles of Petronas and that of Petros involving the state’s gas sector, including upstream activities such as gas production.
The proposal was for Petros to act as the sole aggregator for domestic gas procurement, distribution, and supply, while Petronas would handle the downstream sector, including the production, sale, and export of liquefied natural gas.
In January, Anwar said issues concerning Petronas and Petros over the right to distribute gas in Sarawak had been resolved following negotiations and a meeting with premier Abang Johari Openg.
Earlier this month, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said Sarawak had accepted that the PDA dictated the operation of Malaysia’s petroleum sector, not state ordinances.
Azalina said this was among the key matters agreed on by Anwar and Abang Johari during the meeting on Jan 7.