Chief Strategic Liaison Officer of PETRONAS, Mr. Idris Ibrahim and his team visited the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) on Tuesday, 15 January 2019. The then IDS CEO Datuk Dr. Johan Arriffin Samad welcomed Mr. Idris and had a discussion with him which was also attended by IDS senior researchers and management members. Datuk Dr. Johan was briefed by Mr. Idris on PETRONAS’ business model opportunities and Sabah’s strategic importance to the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Johan added that the climate to invest in Sabah is highly conducive, as SOGDC Oil and Gas Industrial Park in Sipitang offers many opportunities for PETRONAS to go further downstream. Currently, Project SAMUR production is only available for exports, and does not provide any feedstock to the state. On the gas supply of the remaining 90 million scf of gas for the state, Dr. Johan urged PETRONAS to reconfirm the availability and the gas price, as leaving the resources unused, Sabah will be left further behind in downstream oil and gas development.
Both IDS and PETRONAS agreed that further in-depth discussion is necessary to create a platform to collaborate in developing Sabah’s role in maximising its natural resources to benefit both the state and the nation. Dr. Johan emphasised that the collaboration with PETRONAS in the field of research and exchange of data would be beneficial for the state government to make informed decisions with regards to planning purposes within the oil and gas industry.
Mr. Idris also mentioned that PETRONAS is focusing more into community wellbeing and environmental projects in Sabah, as part of their CSR efforts to develop Sabah into becoming a developed oil producing state. Developing sustainable CSR plans and programs would heavily impact Sabah’s local communities to be more independent and productive.
Also present were Mdm. Rokiah Sulaiman, Head of PETRONAS Sabah & Labuan Group Strategic Communications, Mr. Ahmad Faridz Dzulkarnain, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement Strategic Liason Office, Mr. Affizan Abdul Malek, Manager of Petronas Sabah & Labuan Group Strategic Communications, and IDS research team, Mdm. Jenny Liaw, Hajah Hasnah Samsudin, Mr. Richard T. Koh, Ms. Anita Limjoon and Mdm. Juliana Ringgingon.
– Kamilia Aisyah Kamaruzaman
