Musa said that the state AG is to attend to all necessary matters required to intervene in Petronas’ legal application, so as to safeguard Sabah’s oil and mineral resources.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Insisting he is still chief minister, Tan Sri Musa Aman last night issued a statement instructing the Sabah Attorney General (AG) to intervene in tomorrow’s Petronas lawsuit on oil and gas rights.

Musa, whose whereabouts are unknown, emailed the statement expressing great concern over the ownership of Sabah’s minerals, whether directly or indirectly affected by the national oil company’s application for a declaration on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA).

“We view with great concern that the outcome of the said Application and the interpretation of the Petroleum Development Act 1974 will have a direct effect on the oil and gas industry in Sabah which may lead to dire consequences.

“As such it is only prudent for us as the responsible State Government to intervene in the said Application and to act in the best interests of the state and all Sabahans.

“With these circumstances in mind, I will instruct and direct the Attorney General of Sabah to make an application for the State Government of Sabah to intervene in the above Federal Court Proceedings,” he said in the statement.

He added that the state AG is to attend to all necessary matters required to intervene in Petronas’ legal application, so as to safeguard Sabah’s oil and mineral resources.

“We will deploy all available resources of the State Government to ensure that the best interest of Sabah are defended always,” Musa ended.

On June 4, Petronas applied to the Federal Court seeking a declaration on the PDA to declare its exclusive ownership of the country's petroleum resources, including Sarawak.

Sarawak had announced in March that it would set up Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) that would begin regulating the state’s oil resources beginning July.

Sabah Opposition party leaders, Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan from Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku and his Sabah Progressive Party counterpart Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee have both called on Shafie, sworn in as chief minister on May 12, to intervene in the case.

The case will be heard on June 12 in Putrajaya.