KUCHING, Feb 24 2026: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Women section has asserted that it is entirely justified and necessary for Sarawak government to seek authoritative constitutional clarification from the highest court on the constitutionality and applicability of petroleum laws on the state.
It said that Sarawak’s present petition is not an act of confrontation, it is an act of constitutional defence.
“Sarawak’s rights are not political concessions. They are entrenched in the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which form the very foundation of Malaysia,” SUPP Women said in a statement to give support to the Sarawak government’s move to file a petition in the Federal Court to challenge the constitutional applicability of federal oil and gas laws in Sarawak.
In a statement yesterday, Deputy Minister of Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA53) and State-Federal Relations Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, has said the petition seeks a definitive determination on the constitutional validity and continued applicability in Sarawak of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA 1974), Continental Shelf Act 1966 and Petroleum Mining Act 1966.
SUPP Women noted that since 2018, Petronas has initiated a series of legal actions involving Sarawak’s regulatory and fiscal authority.
It said these include the 2018 Federal Court application seeking declarations on the exclusivity of the PDA 1974 and the 2019–2020 judicial review challenging Sarawak’s 5 per cent State Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum products.
The others, SUPP Women said, are the 2025 High Court proceedings challenging Sarawak’s Distribution of Gas Ordinance 2016 (DGO) licensing regime and the January 2026 Federal Court motion seeking clarification of the regulatory framework governing its operations in Sarawak.
“In June 2018, Petronas attempted to obtain declarations from the Federal Court asserting that the PDA 1974 governs the petroleum industry throughout Malaysia, that Petronas is the exclusive owner of petroleum resources, and that it is the sole upstream regulator — including in Sarawak.
“The Federal Court dismissed that application for leave on jurisdictional grounds,” it noted.
The section also said that in 2020, the Kuching High Court upheld Sarawak’s constitutional authority to impose its 5 per cent State Sales Tax, dismissing Petronas’ judicial review.
“Despite these outcomes, further challenges have continued,” SUPP Women noted.
It expressed its full confidence in the leadership of Sharifah Hasidah, who is spearheading Sarawak’s legal response.
“At this critical juncture, unity among Sarawakians is paramount,” SUPP Women said, calling upon all Sarawakians regardless of political affiliation to stand together in safeguarding the state’s natural resources, constitutional position, and future generations’ interests.
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