ADUN SPEAKS | Using PDA 1974 to deny Sabah's right contrary to MA63

ADUN SPEAKS | Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said had provided a written parliamentary reply on the ownership or regulation of oil and gas resources.

Her assertion that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) contains no provisions on oil and gas and that full ownership therefore vests in Petronas under the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA) reflects a fundamentally flawed understanding of constitutional structure, federalism, and the legal status of MA63.

MA63 is not a sectoral statute. It is a...