KOTA KINABALU: Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Datuk Dr Roland Chia (pic), has dismissed recent remarks by former SOGDC CEO Abdul Kadir Abdullah Damsal, saying they misrepresent Sabah’s current oil and gas progress.
He said Sabah International Petroleum (SIP) was in financial distress before the GRS administration restructured it to safeguard state interests and create SMJ Energy (SMJE) to deliver long-term value.
Chia added that the Sipitang Oil and Gas Industrial Park (Sogip) is now gaining investor confidence, with a major RM31 billion commitment from Esteel Enterprise Sdn Bhd highlighting the shift.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He noted that since the Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA), SMJE has secured equity in key oil and gas blocks, while Sabah Energy Corporation (SEC) has obtained onshore gas distribution rights and over RM2 billion in contracts awarded to Sabah-based firms this year alone.
Responding to claims regarding SMJE’s absence from a recent oil and gas bid, Chia clarified that Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun’s State Assembly response was factual and not a personal attack, stressing that Sabah's energy institutions are now empowered and led by Sabahans.