KUCHING: The Sarawak Government has taken a firm and principled stance by submitting to the court to determine the validity and final interpretation of three federal laws directly related to the state's natural resources.

Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the legal action was aimed at seeking a clear explanation on the position of the Petroleum Development Act 1974, the Continental Shelf Act 1966 and the Petroleum Mining Act 1966.

“The matter has been heard in court. The purpose of the trial is to seek clarification from the court on the status of three government laws.

“It is not fair for me to say too much because this matter is in the court process,” he said when met by the media after the launch of the 2026 SABERKAS Jerayawara Bubur Lambuk here on Tuesday.

He explained that the petition filed touched on the issue of natural resources and state border jurisdiction, hence choosing a legal approach to ensure that the interpretation obtained was valid and final in the interests of Sarawak.

Commenting on the Meeting on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) scheduled for 2 March, he said negotiations between the state and federal governments would continue in a focused manner to resolve outstanding issues.

According to him, among the matters focused on include health issues, education and special registration under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution.

In a related development, Dato Sri Abdul Karim also stressed the state government's stance on land that has been handed over to the Federal Government but not developed within five years to be returned to Sarawak.

"We ask that any land that has been handed over to the federal government that is not developed within five years be returned.

"Among them, there are some that we have succeeded in regaining, and this is an addition that has not yet been refined," he stressed.

He added that the matter would continue to be detailed at the technical committee level, including involving aspects of tourism and undeveloped land to ensure that state assets are optimally utilised.

Touching on the development of the tourism sector, the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts said that efforts to promote Sarawak would continue to be intensified through strategic cooperation between ministries at the Federal and state levels.

He said that the organisation of various promotional programmes internationally and domestic events were being implemented continuously to attract more tourists to Sarawak and Malaysia.

"For January 2026, there is a fairly high increase in the number of visitors compared to January 2025," he said.

He said the increase proves the effectiveness of coordination and collaboration between ministries in strengthening and boosting the tourism industry, thus contributing to the state's economic growth. -UKASnews