Amid calls for greater autonomy, the federal government has devolved more powers to Sarawak, but the declaration on March 6 that the East Malaysia state has reclaimed full rights to prospect, mine and develop oil and gas has been the biggest announcement so far.
The reason is simple - with the rights, Sarawak now deals directly with the money, which is at the heart of decades-old angst felt by some Sarawakians and their neighbours in Sabah.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
