Sarawak assistant minister says negotiations ongoing with Putrajaya to reclaim O&G regulatory role
KUCHING, July 15 — Negotiations to reclaim a regulatory role in the mining of oil and gas resources within Sarawak’s territorial waters is ongoing with the federal government and national oil company Petronas, Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said today amid questions over the lack of transparency in the process.
The Sarawak assistant minister of law, state-federal relations and project monitoring also said the state is also negotiating to increase its revenue share from oil and gas and greater investment opportunities in downstream activities by the state government and Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros).
“It is also on giving more opportunities for Sarawak companies in the oil and gas industry plus greater and more secured supply of gas for industrial and commercial purposes to boost our industries,” she posted on her Facebook page in response to Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How who claimed a lack of transparency in the negotiations over the state sales tax imposed on petroleum products from Sarawak.
See claimed the state government ignored the Sarawak State Assembly’s consultative committee on Malaysia Agreement 1963 in the negotiation over the state sales tax.
Yesterday, he tendered his resignation as a member of the consultative committee in protest over the lack of transparency.
Hasidah denied See’s claim that the state government is negotiating on the payment of SST.
“Petronas must pay the state sales tax as assessed according to and under our State Sales Ordinance. That is not negotiable as it is our constitutional right to impose the sales tax,” she said.
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