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The Star
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
GRS treating state resources as personal property, says Sabah Umno
KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government is facing mounting criticism over the alleged secretive issuance of mineral mining licences and attempts to distort the state's oil and gas history. Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir (pic) said public trust had been betrayed, warning that Sabah's resources were being managed 'like a family inheritance' rather than state assets belonging to the people. 'The people's trust is the highest principle in any democracy. Unfortunately, under the current GRS administration, that trust has been blatantly betrayed by political greed,' said Suhaimi, who is also the Libaran MP, in a statement on Tuesday (July 22). He took issue with recent remarks that Sabah's oil and gas sector only began developing after the establishment of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021, pointing out that the RM54bil Sabah Integrated Oil and Gas Project (SIOGP) was launched in 2014 under the Barisan Nasional administration. 'GRS leaders are attempting to rewrite history,' he said. Suhaimi also questioned whether the much-publicised investments into Sabah were truly benefitting ordinary Sabahans or merely enriching political cronies. 'GRS often boasts about multi-billion ringgit investments into Sabah, but the people deserve to know: how much of that truly goes to companies owned by genuine Sabahans?' he said. He said it was unacceptable that the state government remained silent on basic public demands such as clean water, better roads, and stable electricity — yet was swift and quiet when it came to awarding mining licences. 'When it comes to mining licences, the government suddenly becomes swift, rushed, and silent. Is this the real priority of GRS?' he asked. 'Sabah is not the private estate of politicians. It is the people's property.' Suhaimi said Sabah was now in the midst of a leadership crisis, adding that true leaders would not trade the state's land and dignity for political survival. 'The people of Sabah deserve to know who profits and who approved it, because this state is not a personal fiefdom to be controlled by political elites,' he said. 'Do not ever sell out Sabah for personal gain,' he added.
Borneo Post
12-07-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Former SOGDC CEO refutes Masidi's claims on Sabah oil and gas progress
Abdul Kadir Abdullah Damsal KOTA KINABALU (July 12): A former senior figure in Sabah's oil and gas industry has pushed back against recent remarks by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, calling him 'misleading' and lacking historical context in relation to the state's petroleum development. In a press statement, former Chief Executive Officer of Sabah Oil and Gas Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (SOGDC) Abdul Kadir Abdullah Damsal and a practising lawyer questioned Masidi's claim that Sabah's oil and gas sector only began to evolve following the establishment of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021. Abdul Kadir asserted that long before SMJE came into the picture, several state-linked companies had already been actively involved in the industry. These included Sabah Energy Corporation (SEC), Sabah International Petroleum (SIP), subsidiaries under Yayasan Sabah and SOGDC itself. He credited much of the earlier momentum to the then-Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, noting that Petronas had, under a period of political stability, launched the Sabah Integrated Oil and Gas Project (SIOGP) in 2014, an initiative involving investments totalling nearly RM54 billion. 'These projects laid the foundation for Sabah's current oil and gas infrastructure, created thousands of jobs and supported local engineering and service firms,' he said. He also pointed to the formation of a Joint Working Committee (JWC) between the State Government and Petronas, which he said facilitated increased gas allocations to Sabah and significantly boosted local capacity development, including the appointment of a Sabahan as CEO of Petronas' Sabah Ammonia Urea (SAMUR) plant. 'Contrary to recent claims, the industry was not dormant prior to the formation of SMJE. Sabahans have long played a critical role in the oil and gas sector, without resorting to political pressure on local entities such as SAMUR,' he said. Abdul Kadir also cast doubt on the claim that Sabah-based oil and gas firms secured RM2 billion worth of Petronas contracts in 2024, suggesting the figure could be misleading without proper breakdown. 'The contracts may not necessarily have been awarded within Sabah alone and the public deserves clarity on how much actually went to genuinely Sabahan-owned firms,' he added. Touching on SMJE's reported RM362 million profit in 2024, Abdul Kadir clarified that the figure represented group earnings, not solely derived from its upstream interest in the Samarang field. 'A significant portion of that profit came from SIP's 10 per cent equity in LNG Train 9 in Bintulu, a deal initiated during the BN administration and finalised under Warisan,' he explained. He went on to highlight that other state-owned entities including Suria Capital, Sawit Kinabalu and Qhazanah Sabah, have long operated as billion-ringgit asset-based companies, stressing that SMJE's growth should not be portrayed as an isolated success story. Abdul Kadir concluded by urging the State Government to present a more accurate narrative to the public. 'Sabahans deserve the truth, not exaggerated claims or selectively curated retellings of the state's economic journey,' he concluded.
The Star
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Former top state oil official disputes Masidi's claims on SMJ Energy's role
KOTA KINABALU: An ex-top Sabah oil and gas official has disputed claims by state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun ( pic ) about the state's petroleum development timeline, calling them 'misleading' and lacking historical context. Former Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (SOGDC) chief executive officer Abdul Kadir Abdullah Damsal said it was inaccurate to suggest that Sabah's oil and gas industry only began to evolve with the establishment of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021. He highlighted that several government-linked companies (GLCs), including Sabah Energy Corporation (SEC), Sabah International Petroleum (SIP), Yayasan Sabah subsidiaries and SOGDC itself, were actively involved in the sector well before SMJE was formed. Abdul Kadir, who is also a practising lawyer, credited past progress to the previous Barisan Nasional government, saying that PETRONAS launched the Sabah Integrated Oil and Gas Project (SIOGP) in 2014 during a time of political stability, with investments totalling nearly RM54bil. 'These projects laid the foundation for Sabah's current oil and gas infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs and supporting local engineering and service firms,' he said in a statement on Saturday (July 12). He also mentioned the establishment of the Joint Working Committee between Sabah and PETRONAS, which he said led to more gas being allocated to the state and efforts to build local capacity, such as appointing a Sabahan as the chief executive officer of the PETRONAS' SAMUR plant. 'Contrary to recent claims, the industry was not dormant before SMJE. Sabahans have long played important roles in oil and gas operations, without needing to apply political pressure to so-called 'Sabahan entities' like SAMUR,' he added. Abdul Kadir further questioned recent statements that Sabah-based oil and gas firms received RM2bil worth of PETRONAS contracts in 2024. He said this figure could be misleading without a proper breakdown and called for clarity on how much was actually awarded to locally owned Sabah firms. On SMJE's reported RM362mil profit in 2024, he claimed this was a group figure, and not solely due to SMJE's upstream involvement in Samarang. Instead, he said much of the profit came from SIP's 10% equity in LNG Train 9 in Bintulu, a deal initiated under the Barisan administration and signed during Parti Warisan's time in power. He also said that other state-owned companies such as Suria Capital, Sawit Kinabalu and Qhazanah Sabah have long operated as billion-ringgit asset-backed firms, and urged that SMJE's growth not be portrayed as a standalone success story. Abdul Kadir also called on the state government to provide a more accurate narrative to the public. 'Sabahans deserve the truth, not exaggerated claims or selective retelling of the state's economic development,' he said.
Daily Express
11-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Ex-SOGDC CEO refutes Masidi's claims on SMJ Energy's role in Oil & Gas
Published on: Friday, July 11, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jul 11, 2025 Text Size: Kadir (left) challenged Masidi's (right) assertion that Sabah's oil and gas industry only began to turn around with the formation of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021. Kota Kinabalu: A former senior Sabah oil and gas official refuted recent remarks by State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, calling them 'misleading' and lacking historical context regarding the state's petroleum development. Abdul Kadir Abdullah Damsal, former CEO of Sabah Oil & Gas Development Corporation Sdn Bhd (SOGDC) and a practicing advocate and solicitor, challenged the Finance Minister's assertion that Sabah's oil and gas industry only began to turn around with the formation of SMJ Energy (SMJE) in 2021. Abdul Kadir pointed out that multiple state-linked companies, including Sabah Energy Corporation (SEC), Sabah International Petroleum (SIP), Yayasan Sabah subsidiaries and SOGDC itself, were actively engaged in the sector well before SMJE's establishment. He credited the state's earlier momentum to the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, noting that Petronas, encouraged by political stability at the time, launched the Sabah Integrated Oil and Gas Project (SIOGP) in 2014 — an initiative involving investments totalling close to RM54 billion. 'These projects laid the groundwork for Sabah's current oil and gas infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs and supporting local engineering and services companies,' he said in a statement. Abdul Kadir also emphasised that a Joint Working Committee (JWC) was formed to facilitate cooperation between the state and Petronas. This collaboration reportedly led to increased gas allocations for Sabah and significant progress in local capacity building, including the appointment of Sabahan CEOs at Petronas' Sabah Ammonia Urea (Samur) plant. 'Contrary to claims, the industry did not lie dormant until SMJE arrived. In fact, Sabahans have long played key roles in oil and gas operations, without resorting to political pressure tactics to 'Sabahanise' entities like Samur,' he stated. He further criticised the assertion that Sabah-based oil and gas firms secured RM2 billion worth of Petronas contracts in 2024, describing the figure as potentially misleading without a proper breakdown. 'The contracts may not have been awarded solely within Sabah, and the public deserves clarity on how much was awarded to truly local, wholly Sabahan-owned firms,' Abdul Kadir said. On the matter of SMJE's financial performance, Abdul Kadir claimed that the company's reported RM362 million profit in 2024 was a group figure and not solely attributable to its upstream stake in the Samarang field. 'Significant contributions came from SIP's 10 per cent equity in LNG Train 9 in Bintulu — a deal initiated during the BN government and completed under Warisan,' he said. He also noted that other state-owned entities, such as Suria Capital, Sawit Kinabalu, and Qhazanah Sabah, have long operated as billion-ringgit asset-based corporations, suggesting that SMJE's growth should not be portrayed as an isolated success story. Abdul Kadir urged the State Government to present a more accurate narrative to the public. 'The people of Sabah deserve the truth — not exaggerated claims or selective retellings of the state's economic development,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
