Abang Johari said Azalina Othman Said’s statement was “less than accurate”, The Borneo Post reported. “That is why I will continue discussions with the prime minister,” he was quoted as saying.

He reiterated the state’s contention that it had regulatory authority over oil and gas activities within its territory.

Abang Johari’s remarks were over a parliamentary reply earlier this month by Azalina, the law and institutional reform minister, that Petronas and its subsidiaries did not require a licence to operate in Sarawak.

She said the companies do not need to comply with additional procedures to conduct their operations beyond those stipulated in the Petroleum Development Act 1974. Azalina said the agreement was reached between Abang Johari and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a meeting in January.

Abang Johari said Sarawak’s position on resource ownership was clearly spelt out under the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Any extraction of oil and gas must first be approved by the state, he said.

“This is the rule of law. If you come to my house, you must first greet me before entering. If I don’t open the door, then you cannot come in. The same applies to our oil and gas resources.”

His comments come a day after former Sarawak attorney-general JC Fong said Azalina has not verified her claim that Abang Johari had agreed to accept the Petroleum Development Act to govern the state’s petroleum industry.

Fong said Azalina was not present at the meeting between Abang Johari and Anwar, which made her comments in Parliament hearsay.

On Feb 12, Abang Johari said there were still matters to be resolved between Petronas and state oil company Petros on the issue of oil and gas rights in Sarawak.

He said there were still some “grey areas” both parties must look into, but a resolution was in sight.