Datuk Ewon Benedick
KOTA KINABALU (July 12): Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick and Luyang assemblyman Phoong Jin Zhe will move a motion to revoke the Petronas Agreement at the upcoming State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting from July 18-21.
Phoong Jin Zhe
In a joint statement, Ewon from United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) and Phoong from Democratic Action Party (DAP) said they took note of ex-Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh’s challenge to propose such a motion.
“We accept the challenge and we will move the motion to revoke the Petronas Agreement at the State Legislative Assembly sitting, which will be held on July 18 to July 21.
“We are of the view that all laws passed in Parliament related to the rights and interests of Sabah as in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 must first be passed in the Sabah DUN before being enforced. If it is not approved in the Sabah Assembly, then the Act should not be enforced in Sabah,” they said.
According to Harris, the Petronas Agreement was signed to comply with the Petroleum Development Act which was passed in Parliament in 1974 and Sabah elected representatives at the time also supported the decision.
The duo reiterated their strong opinion that the Petronas Agreement signed by Harris and Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan was a ‘big mistake’, and the elected representatives who agreed with the decision must also be held accountable for the mistake.
“Sabah needs strong leadership who are not easily bullied by the demands of the federal government, especially when it only benefits Putrajaya.
“We are both committed to fighting for our rights as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963. This includes optimising the Sabah State Legislative Assembly platform and through legal process, as we have done before when filing our Originating Summons at the High Court to pursue the implementation of 40 per cent federal revenue in Sabah,” they said.
Ewon and Phoong added if they were not successful in revoking the Petronas Agreement through the DUN, they would consider submitting an application for Judicial Review to challenge if the Petronas Development Act 1974 and Petronas Agreement were valid, especially when it was passed during the State of Emergency which has now been revoked.