Latest news with #Shafie
Daily Express
23-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
No maritime border change without Sabah's consent: Shafie
Published on: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 23, 2025 By: Abbey Junior Text Size: Shafie said Sabah's claim over areas such as Sipadan and Ligitan had previously been upheld at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based on strong legal and historical evidence, including British-era records and community presence on the islands. Kota Kinabalu: Any decision on maritime boundary changes, particularly involving the Ambalat Block, must go through the Sabah Legislative Assembly and cannot be decided unilaterally by the Chief Minister, says Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal. Raising the issue in Parliament on Tuesday, the Semporna MP reminded the Government that Sabah has historical, legal and constitutional rights that must be upheld, citing Article 2 of the Federal Constitution, which requires consent from the State Assembly for any border amendments. 'This is about trust in nation-building. The law must be enforced. The Chief Minister does not have the absolute power to agree on maritime boundary shifts, whether in Sulawesi or elsewhere,' he said. He stressed that while Sabah's legal team may be involved in negotiations with Indonesia, all decisions must be democratically approved by the State Assembly. Shafie said Sabah's claim over areas such as Sipadan and Ligitan had previously been upheld at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based on strong legal and historical evidence, including British-era records and community presence on the islands. On the economic front, Shafie criticised the longstanding imbalance in petroleum revenue sharing, saying Sabah has only received five per cent oil royalties since the Petroleum Development Act 1974 came into force. 'During my time as Chief Minister, we imposed a sales tax — that's how the Government earned an additional RM2 billion to RM3 billion,' he said, adding that maritime development talks must also clarify what economic benefits Sabah would receive. 'Will there be jobs? Will upstream or downstream activities be offered to Sabahans? We don't want Sabahans questioning the returns while others benefit,' he said. He called on the Prime Minister to be transparent about what Sabah stands to gain from any negotiations involving maritime development with Indonesia. 'This country would not have been formed without Sabah and Sarawak. If this region contributes to Malaysian territory, then we must ensure Sabah is not sidelined,' 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
Daily Express
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Warisan confident in going solo: Shafie
Published on: Monday, July 21, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 21, 2025 By: Johan Aziz Text Size: 'Warisan will stand on its own. I am confident that this party can govern with the support of the people,' Shafie said, after receiving 800 membership forms, here. KENINGAU: Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal reiterated that his Parti Warisan Sabah will only work with the people and not with other parties in the coming state election. 'Warisan will stand on its own. I am confident that this party can govern with the support of the people,' he said, after receiving 800 membership forms, here. Advertisement He said if two previous Sabah governments managed to rule Sabah for two terms, Warisan can do so, too. 'Parti Jelata Rakyat Sabah (Berjaya) led by Tan Sri Harris Salleh and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan could rule for 10 years even though solo previously. 'We need to work with the people, listen to the people. If we join a coalition, our government will have many policies, many plans, many implementations that will depend on the needs of the coalition, not the needs of the people. Shafie said based on his experience, coalitions do not last long. He also said Warisan would continue to struggle for adherence to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) if the party is given the mandate. He claimed that Warisan was the first to bring the MA63 issue to Parliament in 2019 through the late VK Liew to change what is contained in article 2 and article 1 regarding the position of Sabah and Sarawak. * 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
Focus Malaysia
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Strong point of Sabah opposition: Puff, posturing and political pantomime
IN the noisy arena of Sabah politics, the opposition has perfected one act: endless barking. The ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) can announce new roads, clean water or investment wins but even before the microphones are switched off, the usual suspects are already foaming at the mouth. Take the recent IBR ASEAN Awards. Sabah was named Malaysia's Most Outstanding State Government. Not some consolation prize but a prestigious recognition of leadership, governance, and delivery. A moment to be proud of. But opposition figures prefer to turn a blind eye to such a startling achievement. Ignoring real achievements That's because delivery isn't their strong suit. Drama is. Recently, the state government tabled its Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 report card in the state assembly. It showed 94% of planned initiatives already completed – 366 out of 467. These include rural water supply upgrades, tourism development, dialysis access, agricultural incentives and conservation efforts. But opposition leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal interrupted half-way through the reply, asking for it in writing. Was the list too long for Shafie's attention span? No ideas, just noise This reflects the opposition's entire playbook: don't read, don't build, don't propose – just protest. They oppose supplementary budgets. They cry about the cost of living but never suggest how they'd grow revenue. They keep badgering the Sabah state government to demand more under MA63 (the Malaysia Agreement 1963) such as more oil royalties for the state yet offer no clear ideas on how to turn those demands into reality. Ask them for a manifesto and one would probably be better off explaining Squid Game (South Korean dystopian survival thriller drama television series) to a household cockroach. Ask them for a structured plan to improve livelihoods, and they'd rattle off something that looks like it was stitched together by an unpaid intern who thought policy had something to do with cops. These are not leaders. They are full-time hecklers with part-time interest in policy. Proof in numbers GRS, in contrast, has kept revenue climbing, from RM3.6 bil in 2020 to RM6.84 bil in 2024. Sabah's trade volume breached RM100 bil with investments continuing to flow. These aren't just numbers, they are outcomes. But the opposition doesn't see outcomes. Only optics. When they cannot achieve something, they try to discredit it. It's the only game they know. They claim to represent 'the people'. Yet all they represent is the politics of noise. Where is their blueprint? Their energy goes into slander, scandal and headline-chasing. This is not checks and balances. This is just grandstanding for political mileage. If Sabah is to move forward, voters will need to decide: more chaos from career critics or continued work from those who actually show up. The opposition can bark. But voters must not mistake noise for results. – July 16, 2025 Main image credit: UMNO
Borneo Post
08-07-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Sabah assured of role in state oil and gas projects – Masidi
Sabah will not be left out of participation in its growing oil and gas industry. KOTA KINABALU (July 8): Sabah will not be left out of participation in its growing oil and gas (OnG) industry, assured State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun. Masidi told the State Assembly here Tuesday, in response to an additional question by Senallang assemblyman Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal who queried why a West Malaysian-based company was awarded by Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) a Small Field Asset Production Sharing Contract (SFA PSC) for the Mutiara Cluster offshore exploration project near Sandakan. Shafie had questioned the state's firmness on policies to safeguard its natural resources such as OnG, wondering why SMJ Energy (SMJE) or Sabah International Petroleum (SIP) did not directly discuss with the parties as he rued Sabah's miniscule five percent royalty on oil in the state while Petronas has had control of the remaining 95 percent over the decades. In response, Masidi explained that oil exploration costs lots of money, and the Mutiara Cluster project itself involves a lot of capital expenditure which the state does not have, even though the project is just a preliminary exploration stage and is not actually producing any oil yet. He said SIP and SMJE also do not have the expertise to be eligible for the international bidding, urging for practicality as they are not able to get involved in everything with their current capabilities, while clarifying that bidding for oil exploration and smaller contract works are very different. 'Having said that, this does not mean that we do not have any involvement at all. Insyallah, Petronas or SMJE will make an announcement later on. 'Trust me, SMJE has a scope of participation in Sabah's oil exploration or industry, so don't say that we are giving everything away to others,' he said. The minister also dashed comparisons between Sabah's progress in the field to Sarawak's, saying that the neighbouring state is over a hundred years ahead of Sabah because that was when oil was discovered in the state, while Sabah is still in its infancy. Shafie then pointed out that it is not about comparing Sabah and Sarawak, but Sabah must have firmness and clear-cut policies when it comes to its resources and raw materials to benefit its downstream sector, like Sarawak has been doing. Masidi, who is also Karanaan assemblyman, replied that his opinion is that nothing has been given to Sarawak which Sabah did not and will not get so far, and that Sabah's policy on its natural resources including OnG is very, very easy. 'That is why we signed a Commercial Collaboration Agreement with Petronas – we have our rights and a committee to determine how far is our involvement in the oil sector in Sabah. 'This is what we have been doing. The difference is, we do our work silently and show results. Some just talk without anything to show for. 'Trust me YB. We were both civil cervants, but I also know a bit about oil even though I am new to the industry,' he said.
New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Masidi: SMJ Energy will pursue oil and gas sector opportunities
KOTA KINABALU: SMJ Energy (SMJE) does have a defined scope of involvement in the oil and gas sector, said its chairman, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun. He said, despite the state financial investor not taking part in the bidding of production-sharing contract (PSC) for the Mutiara Cluster Small Field Asset (SFA) with Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), SMJE could still be part of other stages in the industry. "While Sabah is not ready to bid directly in this round, participation at other stages is still possible. We must understand that bidding for oil exploration and smaller contract work are very different. "Exploration requires billions in capital expenditure. At this point, SMJE and Sabah International Petronas Petroleum (SIP) are not yet qualified to take on such bidding because we lack the technical expertise," he said during a question-and-answer session at the state legislative sitting here. The state finance minister was replying to an additional question by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) on why SMJ Energy or SIP was involved in the bidding process for the Mutiara Cluster oil block off Sabah's east coast. Shafie said Petronas awarded it Dialog Group Bhd, based in the peninsula, instead of Sabah's own state-linked entities. Masidi clarified that the award process was part of an international bidding exercise for exploration. He said it was not a small-scale operation and required deep technical capacity and significant capital. Masidi acknowledged the sentiment expressed by Shafie but urged for a broader and more realistic perspective, citing Sabah's relatively recent entry into the oil and gas sector compared with Sarawak. "We are often compared with Sarawak, but their oil industry began over a hundred years ago. We are just starting out, we are crawling while they are already running. Insyallah, Sabah will participate more directly in this industry in the future," he said.
