OMO, PDA should co-exist in oil and gas mining devt, says Premier

KUCHING (July 22): Sarawak’s Oil and Mining Ordinance (OMO) 1958 and Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 should co-exist in terms of the development of oil and gas mining in the region, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said while the interpretation of the PDA is absolute, it cannot overrule or bridge the Constitution.

“Our supreme law is our Constitution. But in the Constitution, what happened before Malaysia is still valid.

“This means OMO was already there in 1958; it was not repealed, which means the law still exists where Sarawak has some power in terms of oil and gas in the mining industry,” he said during the ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast, which is co-hosted by Khairy Jamaluddin and Shahril Hamdan, on Youtube today.

Elaborating further, Abang Johari also mentioned the determination of Sarawak’s land, sea and continental shelf limits was derived in the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order 1954 by the Queen in Council prior to the formation of Malaysia.

However, he said this could be amended according to the Constitution.

“In our Constitution, it says boundaries cannot be changed unless with the consent of the State Legislative Assembly, express consent and the Conference of Rules. That means this is not the case.

“Our boundaries are still within the continental shelf but we can work together with the federal government to manage our resources in oil and gas.

“Which is why I said Petros and Petronas, they are partners in the oil and gas industry in Malaysia. That’s all. No problem,” he said.