Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 30^th April 2010: 

Abdullah should explain whether he had signed off US$100 billion (RM320 billion) worth of oil rights to resolve Brunei’s claims to Limbang a month before he stepped down as Prime Minister and why

Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah should explain whether he had signed off US$100 billion (RM320 billion) worth of oil rights to resolve Brunei’s claims to Limbang a month before he stepped down as Prime Minister in March last year and why.

The disclosure by former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir that there had been such a deal is most shocking and even outrageous, demonstrating how gravely good governance had deteriorated after Merdeka in 1957, as this is something Abdullah’s predecessors as Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, Tun Hussein and even Tun Mahathir himself, would not have done without proper consent of Cabinet, Parliament and the Malaysian people.

Malaysians would have continued to be kept in the dark of this deal if not for Mahathir’s latest blog entry “Malaysia’s Generosity” yesterday where he disclosed that Malaysia had lost a substantial oil producing offshore area in the South China Sea, namely Block L and Block M.

Mahathir wrote:

“ Block L and Block M had been claimed by Malaysia based on historical facts. Accordingly, Petronas entered into a production sharing contract with Murphy Oil to start drilling to produce oil. It is estimated that the reserves amounted to almost 1 billion barrels.

“ Abdullah Badawi negotiated with the Sultan to get back Limbang in Sarawak. In return he agreed to surrender the two blocks to Brunei. No Petronas representatives were present, only foreign office staff and the foreign affairs adviser to the PM.

“ As we all know Abdullah triumphantly announced that he had settled the Limbang claim with Brunei. No mention was made of the two blocks.

“ Brunei disclaimed that they had agreed to give up Limbang. The foreign office and Abdullah did not rebut Brunei's statement.

“Now it is made clear that the two blocks are no longer a part of Malaysia.

“ Abdullah has caused Malaysia to lose at least US100 billion dollars (about RM320 billion) of Malaysia's oil in this agreement.”

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should explain the true situation – whether Abdullah had signed off US$100 billion (RM320 billion) worth of oil rights to resolve Brunei’s claims to Limbang, that Brunei’s claims to Limbang remains unaffected despite Malaysia losing these two blocks of offshore oil areas, and even more important, why the Abdullah Cabinet at the time of which he was Deputy Prime Minister had agreed to such unilateral and arbitrary sell-out of the country’s sovereign rights.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor