Zulaihi (front, sixth left) in a group photo with members of the media during the Petronas Media Night 2019 in Kuching. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: The media in Sarawak plays a crucial role towards the sustainable economic growth and welfare of communities within the state, says Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) Sarawak general manager Zulaihi Mantali.
He points out that this is in line with the national oil and gas company’s statement of purpose towards sustainability.
“For Petronas, we see energy as a significant resource that fuels progress and contributes towards a better quality of life. This is in line with our statement of purpose to be a progressive energy and solutions partner enriching lives for a sustainable future.
“Our approach towards realising this intent lies in our corporate social responsibility (CSR) philosophy which is anchored on three pillars – education, community wellbeing and development and environment,” he said in his opening speech for the Petronas Media Night 2019 here on Friday.
Over the years, Petronas had carried out many CSR programmes and initiatives in these areas in partnership with local communities, industries, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), he added.
“From this year onwards, the philanthropic foundation of our company, Yayasan Petronas which was launched in March, will continue to fulfil this commitment and carry on with our CSR initiatives across the nation, in upholding our ‘amanah’ (trust) to all Malaysians.”
Zulaihi pointed out that in Sarawak, under the CSR pillar of education, four programmes – Program Budi Petronas, Trust School Programmes, Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP) and Program Sentuhan Ilmu Petronas (PSIP) – continued to reach out to students through science camps and back-to-school activities.
Under the Sarawak government-Petronas Joint Working Committee (JWC), which was established in 2014 as a formal avenue for cooperation, he said the national oil and gas player had trained more than 2,500 community members as emergency responders, as part of the company’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programme.
Additionally, Petronas had also constructed five pre-schools for the Penan community, he added.
On the environmental front, Zulaihi noted that Petronas continued to support local conservation efforts via its partnership in conserving the Piasau Nature Reserve in Miri to protect the endangered hornbills.
“Other efforts include the Petronas-Sarawak Forestry Eco-Marine Project at the Sibuti Reef Complex in Miri, and Beacon project in Similajau National Park that aims to save the dwindling turtle population, resulting in the return of nesting turtles to the Similajau National park after a seven-year absence.
“On that note, I would like to thank the media fraternity in Sarawak for the continuous support of our CSR efforts through reports and features that highlight the positive social impact of our initiatives.
“All of our efforts would not have been possible without the participation and support of the media fraternity as well as all of our stakeholders,” Zulaihi said in concluding his speech.
He also expressed Petronas’ confidence that more strategic partnerships could be formed to overcome issues and workable solutions, towards uplifting communities in achieving a better and sustainable quality of life.