Snowdan Lawan
KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Youth chairman Datuk Snowdan Lawan yesterday defended his party president Tan Sri Dr James Masing from being accused of being “reckless” when the latter queried about the legal status of Bintulu Port.
Snowdan, who is also Youth and Sports assistant minister, said Masing was the best person in Sarawak to delve on the subject since he is the newly minted minister in charge of ports.
“Who else actually is in the best position if not the minister himself to delve into this matter? Failing to do so is a failure to serve,” said Snowdan in a press statement.
“All that Tan Sri James did was a surface quest, an initial search, enquiring about a federal property, the Bintulu Port, that was sited on Sarawak soil in Bintulu.”
Snowdan said he was puzzled as to why Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How had felt offended and gave a “knee jerk reaction” when Masing, the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development, made enquiries about Bintulu Port.
Snowdan was responding to See’s statement, which categorically slammed Masing’s statement, calling it “reckless”.
Following a minor cabinet reshuffle, Masing was tasked with the new portfolio of ports development.
“See himself would certainly not bring this to the surface because by doing so, it will not serve his (political) master in Malaya best, for that’s where his heart is – Sarawak is secondary,” Snowdan said.
Last week Masing said Sarawak is now studying its consitutional position as far as ports and harbours located in the state soil is concerned.
“We just have to get what is ours. We have neglected our rights over the past 55 years,” a news portal quoted Masing as saying.
Bintulu Port was established on Aug 15 1981 under the Bintulu Port Authority Act 1981 as a federal body under the Transport Ministry.
On Monday, Masing said the Sarawak government was studying whether the law enacted by Parliament in 1981 for the setting up of Bintulu Port was enforceable in Sarawak.
“I am not a lawyer but there are laws I believe passed by Parliament which cannot be implemented in Sarawak without the endorsement of the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN),” he said while pointing out that the Territorial Sea Act 2012 passed in Parliament cannot be implemented in Sarawak because DUN Sarawak did not endorse it.
He said the state government is now looking into its constitutional rights over state assets which over the years have been under the administration of the federal government.