KUCHING: The Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 vesting all hydrocarbon resources  under Petronas does not extinguish Sarawak’s constitutional right to control its land from which these oil and gas are extracted.

The same should also apply for Sabah as even though Parliament passed the Labuan Act, a special provision for the purposes of the PDA, whatever petroleum resources extracted from and around the federal territory is deemed to be part of Sabah, which is entitled to its share of royalty and other revenue payments.

Sarawak Government legal advisor Dato Sri JC Fong pointed this out at the Second Borneo States Symposium themed “Realising the Dreams and Visions of the Peoples of the Borneo States” at the Borneo Cultures Museum Auditorium, recently.

It was organised by “The Sarawak Initiatives” (TSI) and “Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights” (Sabar).