KUCHING: Sarawak deserves its fair share and should not be patronised or warned when demanding what rightfully belongs to it, said Dato Ir Lo Khere Chiang, State Assemblyman for Batu Kitang in a strongly worded statement today responding to remarks by former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi was recently quoted as saying that Sarawak “deserves more,” but in the same statement warned against “burdening investors,” “threatening Petronas,” or “risking economic stability.” Lo criticised this as a contradictory stance that reflects the long-standing double standards from Putrajaya.
Lo asked that he should not patronise Sarawak as we are not asking for charity but instead demanding our rightful share under the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and under natural justice.
He said it is Petronas that has extracted billions from Sarawak’s land for decades, while the state continues to lag in rural development, education infrastructure, and other basic amenities. “If restoring Sarawak’s fair share is considered a burden to investors or Petronas, then the system is not only broken but morally bankrupt,” he said.
Lo pointed out the disparity in treatment between Peninsular and East Malaysia, saying that massive infrastructure projects in the Peninsula are rarely questioned, while Sarawak is cautioned when it seeks just returns from its own resources.
He said Sarawak wants to correct a long-standing injustice and not thinking of destabilising the economy.
Citing historical and constitutional provisions, Lo explained that Sarawak’s territorial boundary was extended in 1954 through the Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council, which included the continental shelf up to 200 nautical miles offshore.
That boundary, he stressed, has never been repealed, and any attempt to alter it such as through the Territorial Sea Act 2012 requires the consent of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, which was never given.
Lo also highlighted that Sarawak’s Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, has firmly maintained that the state’s boundaries are non-negotiable and Deputy Minister Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali has reaffirmed that the 1954 Order remains valid and overrides the Territorial Sea Act 2012.
Furthermore, he recalled the landmark constitutional amendments passed in 2022 to Articles 1(2), 160(2), 161A(6), and 161A(7) that restored Sarawak’s rightful status and embedded MA63 into the Federal Constitution.
These changes, he noted, were secured through the efforts of Tun Pehin Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar during his tenure as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
“Sarawak did not join Malaysia to become a second-class region. We formed this nation as equals under the Malaysia Agreement 1963,” he added.
He urged the federal government to stop issuing warnings and instead begin fulfilling its legal and moral obligations to Sarawak.
“If the Federation of Malaysia truly wants to be stable, united, and respected, then it must start by respecting Sarawak by honouring the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the 1954 Order in Council, and Article 1(3) of the Federal Constitution,” he said.
By Connie Chieng