Malaysia Agreement

Unity Government and Reform · Treatise · 10 min read

One Mooring Line, Tied for Seventy-Two Years

Sarawak has taken the petroleum laws to the Federal Court, with the hearing set for 25 January 2027; the case asks not who gets how much, but how the 1966 statutes reached Sarawak

On 23 February 2026, the state of Sarawak filed a petition in the Federal Court seeking a declaration that the Petroleum Development Act 1974 and two 1966 petroleum statutes are unconstitutional and void "insofar as they apply to Sarawak". Sarawak's argument is a chain of law: a state ordinance of 1958, a 1966 statute covering only Malaya, its extension to Sarawak under the 1969 Emergency, and the revocation of the Emergency in 2011. These are Sarawak's claims; the substantive replies of Petronas and the Federation are not found in the public record. The court has not yet heard the case, and the hearing is scheduled to begin on 25 January 2027. This article is current to 11 October 2026.