Petronas will weather challenges: PM
Published on: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Kuching: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is confident that Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) will weather all challenges and retain its status as a leading oil and gas multinational corporation in spite of the current slump in global oil prices. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the national oil giant has overcome several obstacles since its inception about 42 years ago and will remain the "golden goose" that will generate growth and spur development for the nation. He underscored his long-held confidence in Petronas as he recalled his stint as junior executive in the national oil firm.
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"I was a junior executive and was among the first people in the management front when Petronas was established. "At the time, I understood and embraced this aspiration to see Petronas become a multinational corporation which would dominate the oil and gas industry. "Petronas has come a long way and emerged as a proud icon of the country," said Najib in his speech during a Malaysia Day gathering hosted by Petronas here.Joining the PM and some 1,000 Petronas employees were Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem and Petronas President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin. Najib said Petronas is going through a rough patch and adjusting to new norms with the drop in crude oil prices, which means it needs the support of all stakeholders in order to remain the pride and joy of the country.
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Apart from exhorting Petronas to be mindful of the aspirations of the people in Sarawak, Najib also urged the Federal and state governments to work with Petronas to continue fostering their tripartite cooperation for the betterment of the nation. "We must continue to harmonise this relationship, since all parties, including the Federal and state governments, will benefit from the success of Petronas," he said.
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He also mentioned his hope of seeing more Sarawakians fill posts in the national oil firm based on merit and qualifications.Meanwhile, Petronas will continue to recruit, rotate, develop and promote employees based on their performance and qualities, said its President and Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin. He said this was because Petronas aimed to have a high performing culture driven by meritorcacy and yet remain committed to empower societal growth wherever it operated. He said this at a special Malaysia Day gathering of Petronas employees in Sarawak with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem at the Civic Centre here."We need to create a sustainable pool of talent not just for Petronas but for the (oil and gas) industry and the nation as a whole. On Sarawak, he said more than 5,000 local students and 15 educational institutions had benefitted from Petronas' contributions to education and human capital development. He added that the oil giant would continue to empower lives via education, community development and environmental conservation and that RM470million had been budgeted for this from 2015 to 2019 which included building a new MRSM college here. Recently, Petronas faced some staffing problems in Sarawak when some employees were denied work permits but the matter was later amicably resolved. On another matter, Wan Zulkiflee said that in Sarawak, the national oil corporation would give priority to local vendors whereby about 400 Sarawakians companies were licensed with it and about RM7 billion worth of jobs had been awarded to Sarawakian companies since 2013. "We are proud too that more than 3,800 or 75 per cent of our employees in our Sarawak operations are Sarawakians. "Close to another 1,000 of our Sarawakian employees are holding various positions outside the state which includes Petronas' global operations," he said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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