KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 21): Sarawak lawmaker Datuk Willie Mongin has chastised Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) for going to court to clarify the legal position over its operations in the state, describing the move as "arrogant" as negotiations for a commercial resolution was still ongoing.

Debating the royal address in Parliament on Wednesday, Willie (GPS-Puncak Borneo) asked whether PETRONAS' move was instructed by, or received the consent from the federal government — being its shareholder — or Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"If not, what are the steps that the federal government would take to ensure that a federal government-owned company does not act in a manner that contradicts the country’s highest political commitments?" Willie asked.

PETRONAS’ decision to drag both the federal and Sarawak state governments into the fray was "deeply concerning for Sarawakians", he said, particularly after Anwar and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg last year signed a joint declaration to commit both parties to negotiate in the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He sought assurances that Sarawak’s rights under MA63 and the joint declaration would continue to be respected, and urged Putrajaya to take a transparent position to prevent further confusion and disappointment among Sarawakians.

On Jan 12, PETRONAS said it had filed a motion at the Federal Court seeking clarity on the legal and regulatory framework governing its operations in Sarawak, naming both the federal and Sarawak state governments as respondents.

The move follows a long-running dispute between PETRONAS and Sarawak’s state-owned Petroleum Sarawak Bhd (Petros) over the oversight of gas assets in the state.

In particular, the debate revolved around the role of gas aggregator in Sarawak — Malaysia's largest gas producing state — which extended to matters like whether PETRONAS requires a licence from the state government to operate there.

PETRONAS, in announcing the motion, said "constructive engagements" with Putrajaya, Sarawak government and Petros still gave rise to "differences which led to uncertainty in respect of the obligations applicable to" the national oil company.

PETRONAS is also involved in a separate court case with Petros after the latter refused to pay for gas supplied in August 2024, arguing that PETRONAS lacked a valid licence under the Sarawak Gas Distribution Ordinance (DGO) to supply gas in the state. A decision in that case is scheduled for Jan 30.

Willie, in Parliament, criticised PETRONAS as being naik tocang (acting arrogantly) and said its actions "appeear inconsistent with MA63", which "could be interpreted as undermining the principle of equal partnership that forms the foundation of Malaysia".

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