He said this is because the state has companies that have the expertise in the field, naming one of them as Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation, which he said can be the leading agency.
“With over 100 years of experience, Brooke Dockyard is not a kindergarten institution anymore as it is now a university when compared with the other industry players in the county. Other industry players in the country made it big because they got backup from the big guns,” he reasoned.
According to him, Brooke Dockyard, originally a marine ship building company, is the oldest oil and gas fabrication company in the country.
Speaking to reporters at the company’s office in Sejingkat yesterday, he also suggested that the state agency take over some sectors of oil and gas production from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas).
“Sarawak owns the oil and gas but Petronas is the one currently using our platform created by Brooke Dockyard. As for now we have many marginal oil and gas reserves in Sarawak and since Petronas is not producing anything from these reserves, I hope to see oil and gas from these reserves produced by the state,” he added,.
He pointed out that many job opportunities would be created for Sarawakians if Sarawak is allowed to manage its own oil and gas industry, lamenting that presently a big part of the workforce of most companies engaged in oil and gas production in Sarawak are foreigners.
At the same time, he hoped that many Sarawakians would seize the opportunity should one such company is created by the state government in the future.
“There is no point of creating jobs for Sarawakians in the oil and gas industry if they are not interested. We (the state government) are doing our best to provide jobs for Sarawakians,” he said.
The Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation was on a working visit to the Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation with Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Assistant Minister for River Transportation and Safety Liwan Lagang and Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development Datuk Talib Zulpilip.
Their visit was received by Brooke Dockyard chairman Datuk Abang Abdul Karim Tun Abang Openg and the management team with a simple welcoming ceremony.
Lately, there had been several suggestions including one by Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang at the State Legislative Assembly that Sarawak should consider setting up its own company to increase the state’s involvement in the oil and gas industry.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/24/managing-our-own-resources/#ixzz4D8XhRFYn
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