00:00The high oil and gas revenue enjoyed by Sabah is due to the state government's direct negotiation
00:05with Petronas' top leaders and its explanation of what the state wants, says Chief Minister
00:11Haji J. Noor. Haji J. said he held a meeting during his early days in office with Petronas
00:17Chairman Bakay Saleh and President and CEO Tengku Muhammad Taufik in Kuala Lumpur, alongside
00:23Armizan Ali and Mazidi Manjun, where they presented proposals formulated with help from
00:28a Sabahan ONG expert. He said that he had asked the chairman to review the proposals without
00:35commenting first, and that Bakay responded by saying Petronas finally understood what Sabah wanted.
00:42Haji J. said Petronas was previously unaware of Sabah's specific demands, as none of the state's
00:47issues had been properly communicated to the company. He said the meeting led to further
00:53engagement with then-Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, and eventually resulted in the
00:59signing of a landmark commercial collaboration agreement. He reported that a large portion
01:05of Sabah's current revenue comes from oil and gas, with the state now holding a 50% stake
01:10in the Samarang oil field, 25% in Samor, and 25% in ZLNG, with more negotiations underway.
01:19Haji J. added that under the HALA TUJU Sabah Maju Jaya Development Plan, the state has allocated
01:26RM1.3 billion to education, increased scholarships from RM50 million to RM138 million, and supported
01:34over 10,000 students in covering first-year university fees.
01:38Pan Yuzhou, FMT.
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