Kota Kinabalu: Masidi said the State Government will prioritise Sabahans for employment opportunities in the oil and gas sector and work permits to non-Sabahans will not easily be issued.
“There are 2,000 skilled Sabahan platform workers. Our policy is ‘Sabah first’. Starting early last year we have ensured that non-Sabahan oil and gas workers must apply for work permit in Sabah.
“When non-Sabahans apply for a permit, we will refer to the database and determine if we have this skill (among Sabah workers). We will not issue work permits if we have our own skills here.
“As long as there is a skilled Sabahan available for the job, it will be given to them (instead of non-Sabahan).” Sabah’s skilled labor would always be provided training and upskilling courses with Petronas to ensure their employability.
In response to Shafie (Warisan-Senallang) who asked if more private companies will be established to maximise Sabah’s rich oil resources, Masidi said the Government-owned SMJ Petroleum would serve as an umbrella company for private companies.
Aside from facilitating bigger opportunities for local companies, Masidi said SMJ Petroleum would ensure that companies can scale up their capacity.
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