Revisit true meaning of federalism, those critical of Sarawak reclaiming autonomy told

Borneo Post

11-06-2025

Wilfred Yap – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (June 11): Those who feel threatened by Sarawak's rightful autonomy should revisit the true meaning of federalism because a strong Malaysia must be built on mutual respect and genuine partnership among all its constituent states, including Sarawak and Sabah, said Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap.
In this respect, he defended the state's growing role in managing its own gas resources as he reminded critics, particularly politicians from Peninsular Malaysia, that Sarawak's push for autonomy was not about defiance, but about fairness and reclaiming rights that were promised to Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
'Our actions reflect this very spirit that is a commitment to a more balanced and equitable Malaysia for all,' he added in a statement yesterday, in which he was responding to recent remarks by several Malayan politicians who attempted to link the federal government's recognition of Sarawak's role as the sole gas aggregator to the retrenchment of some 5,000 Petronas employees.
Yap thus described such accusations as 'baseless and misleading', stating that they either stemmed from ignorance or 'a deliberate distortion of MA63'.
He also said that it was irresponsible to suggest that Sarawak's rightful empowerment was a political ploy to appease so-called 'threats'.
'These claims insult Sarawakians' intelligence and misrepresent our legitimate aspirations for greater control over our resources,' he said.
Yap also stressed that Sarawak's demands were constitutionally grounded and long overdue, having been sidelined for decades since the formation of Malaysia.
He also rebutted the suggestion that empowering Petros, the state-owned oil and gas company, could jeopardise national interests, calling such views 'insulting, and a mischaracterisation of Sarawak's pursuit of economic self-reliance'.
On the issue of Petronas retrenchments, Yap pointed to a statement by the company's president and chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik, who made it clear that the layoffs were part of a broader restructuring in response to global energy transitions and not because of Sarawak's growing role in the industry.
He called attempts to blame Sarawak for the move 'disingenuous and politically motivated'.
'Sarawak's decision to empower Petros has already opened up new opportunities in investment, job creation, and economic development.
'If certain critics from across the South China Sea truly cared about the people's welfare, they would support and not sabotage Sarawak's progress,' he said. federalism lead Sarawak autonomy Wilfred Yap