Richard Rapu third MP from Sarawak asking prime minister for an answer who approved move by Petronas to take legal action

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 2026: Another Member of Parliament (MP) from Sarawak has urged the government to provide a firm explanation on Petronas' legal action in the Federal Court, involving the federal and Sarawak government as respondents.

Dr Richard Rapu: Is a company of this size acting on its own without a political mandate? 

 

Betong MP Dr Richard Rap warned the legal action could undermine the foundation of federalism and the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

 

Speaking in the debate on the Motion to Express Thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, he asked the federal government to explain who approved the suit and whether it had a political mandate.

 

“Who approved this suit? The Prime Minister? The Cabinet? Or no political mandate at all?” he said.

He also stressed that Petronas is not a private company because it is fully owned by the federal government and is accountable to the prime minister, thus raising the question of whether the decision to take legal action was made without political direction.

 

“Is a company of this size acting on its own without a political mandate? If so, the government has lost control of the country's strategic assets. If not, the government must be held responsible for this conflict,” he said.

 

Richard also warned that the government should not talk about MA63 on the political stage but at the same time challenge it through the court process, describing the matter as a dangerous precedent for the future of the Malaysian Federation.

 

He said the action as well as the several of Petronas’ subsidiaries in filing a suit against the Sarawak government should not be seen as a mere corporate issue, but rather touches on the federation-Sarawak relationship and Sarawak's position as a founding partner of the federation.

 

"When Petronas and its subsidiaries sued the Sarawak government, it was not just a corporate issue. It touched on federalism, MA63 and the sovereignty of the founding partners of the Federation," he said.

 

Rapu questioned why the court action occurred when negotiations between the parties involved were still ongoing, besides Petros having been recognised as a gas aggregator and a joint declaration had been signed.

 

Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin and Sri Aman Doris Brodie have also asked the prime minister and federal government to explain who sanctioned and authorised to file the court action.

 

They also asked whether Petronas, being under the control of the prime minister’s department, acted on its own.

(UPDATED)Unifor gets JKR's help to assess, monitor costs of quotations for houses of worship projects

KUCHING, Jan 27 2026: The Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) has formed a strategic partnership with the state Public Works Department (PWD) to assess and monitor the costs of quotations for each application for the houses of worship.

Douglas Uggah: The step to strengthen monitoring reflected the Sarawak Government's commitment to ensure that each Unifor's project is implemented efficiently, transparently- Picture by Ukas
 

Deputy Premier and Minister in Charge of Unifor Douglas Uggah Embas said the initiative aims to ensure that each project cost submitted is reasonable, affordable, and in line with current market prices.

“PWD now has a list of bills of quantities for construction materials used in government contracts.

This allows for more accurate and transparent assessments, thus ensuring that public funds are utilized optimally,” he told reporters after after handing funds to the representatives of houses of worship today.

A total of RM120 million in assistance was channeled, involving RM90 million for the construction of houses of worship of various religions and RM30 million for missionary schools throughout Sarawak.

He added that this step to strengthen monitoring reflected the Sarawak Government's commitment to ensure that each Unifor's project was implemented efficiently, transparently and provided direct benefits to the local community.  

Uggah also reminded that all project applications under Unifor must be submitted no later than the end of February to avoid delays in project implementation.

He said that delays in submitting applications have caused the assessment, approval and allocation process to not be implemented according to the set schedule.

“Last year we faced several issues. That is why we are asking all State Legislative Members (SLMs) and the management of houses of worship to submit early applications, no later than the end of February, so that the process can be expedited and the same problem does not recur,” he said.

He added that the Sarawak government is planning to distribute allocations through the issuance of cheques as early as June, but this can only be realised if applications are received earlier.

He said out of the 309 projects approved under Unifor, 285 projects are still in the implementation process and have not submitted progress reports.

He explained that this situation was believed to have occurred because some recipients only received allocations at the final stage, but monitoring is still carried out continuously by the Unifor team.

“Our team is very active in going to the field and interacting with recipients.

"However, project progress reports are mandatory. Without reports and the use of funds according to plan, new applications will not be considered,” he stressed.

Unifor previously allocated RM90 million for houses of worship projects and RM30 million for mission schools as part of the Sarawak government's commitment to maintaining inter-religious harmony in the state.