Sarawak ready to file petition on state’s O&G ordinances

2026-03-17 - 15:20

Deputy minister in the Sarawak premier’s department, Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the state government accepted the apex court’s ruling and would wait for the petition to be filed by Petronas. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: Sarawak is prepared to file its own petition to ensure all issues involving the regulatory framework governing Petroleum Sarawak Bhd’s (Petros) operations are examined comprehensively, says a deputy state minister. Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, deputy minister in the Sarawak premier’s department, said the state government remained firm in defending the state’s rights while ensuring the people’s interests were protected. “We hope the petition filed by Petronas will be heard together with Sarawak’s petition so that all matters can be considered in a fair and holistic manner,” she said, according to the Sarawak Public Communications Unit. Yesterday, the Federal Court granted Petronas leave to pursue its challenge on the constitutionality of several Sarawak ordinances governing oil and gas matters in the Bornean state. Cyrus Das, a lawyer representing Petronas, had submitted that the Sarawak assembly had passed amendments to several ordinances, including the Distribution of Gas Ordinance (DGO) and the Oil and Mining Ordinance, violating provisions under Sections 1(a), 8(c), 8(j) and 11(c) of the Ninth Schedule to the Federal Constitution. He said the amendments, which touched on treaties, trade, development of mineral resources, as well as production and distribution of power and energy, could only be passed by the Dewan Rakyat. Das also said amendments to the DGO passed in 2023 effectively made Petros the sole gas aggregator in Sarawak to “replace” Petronas. JC Fong, the state government’s legal counsel, opposed Petronas’s bid to initiate the constitutional challenge on grounds that the application should be filed before the High Court. He said the state assembly had acted within its rights and jurisdiction in passing the amendments to the relevant ordinances. Chief Judge of Malaya Hashim Hamzah, who presided over the hearing, ordered Petronas to file its petition detailing the impugned ordinances and provisions within 21 days. Sharifah Hasidah said the court’s decision was justified and the state government accepted the ruling and would wait for the petition to be filed by Petronas within the prescribed time.