Why is Rais silent in the ‘Block L & M scandal’?

The 'Golden Goose' PM 'Flip-Flop' Abdullah Badawi gave away: Blocks L & M and disputed claims over Limbang

Dato’ Seri Utama Dr. Rais Yatim is the Foreign Minister when PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unilaterally ‘hived of’ Blocks L and M and thinking Malaysia got the hold of Limbang on 16 March 2009, just a mere three weeks before the sleepy-head Fifth Prime Minister bowed out in favour of PM Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak.

On Friday, PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah aid that Cabinet made a collective decision to ‘approve’ what he did.

The Star reported:

Published: Friday April 30, 2010 MYT 6:30:00 PM
Updated: Friday April 30, 2010 MYT 7:11:00 PM

Pak Lah dismisses Dr M’s claims he gave away oil-rich areas to Brunei

PUTRAJAYA: Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi has dismissed former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s allegation that he had given away two oil-rich areas to Brunei in 2009 in exchange for Brunei dropping its claims on Limbang in Sarawak.

In a statement, he said that regarding the maritime area, Malaysia and Brunei agreed to establish a final and permanent sea boundary in an exchange of letters on March 16, 2009 aimed at settling the boundary issues between the two nations.

“This agreement serves to settle certain overlapping claims that existed in the past which included the area of the concession blocks known before as Block L and Block M.

“Sovereign rights to the resources in this area now belongs to Brunei.

“However, for this area, the agreement includes a commercial arrangement under which Malaysia will be allowed to participate, on a commercial basis, to jointly develop the oil and gas resources in this area for a period of 40 years.

“The financial and operational modalities for giving effect to this arrangement will be further discussed by the two sides.

“This means that, in so far as the oil and gas resources are concerned, the agreement is not a loss for Malaysia.

“ln my capacity as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I signed the Exchange of Letters with the Sultan of Brunei after the Malaysian Cabinet approved the deal on Feb 11, 2009,” Abdullah said in the statement.

The exchange of letters between Abdullah and the Sultan of Brunei signed on March 16, 2009 represented an agreement between the two countries to take certain specific steps that would finally establish a permanent land and sea boundary between Malaysia and Brunei,he said.

Regarding the land boundary, both sides agreed to undertake a joint survey to demarcate the agreed boundary that would be final and permanent, he said.

This work would be carried out in two ways.

“First, the joint survey will confirm on the ground the boundary in five sectors which had already been established by previous agreements in 1920, 1931, 1933 (two separate agreements) and 1939.

“Second, in other sectors where no land boundary agreements exist as yet, the joint survey shall determine the land boundary on the basis of the watershed principle.

“When the entire land boundary demarcation exercise is completed, there will be established a final and permanent boundary between Sarawak on the Malaysian side and Brunei on the other side.

“When this is accomplished, there will no longer be any land boundary dispute between Brunei and Malaysia as a whole.

“This long-standing issue, which had existed in the past as an irritant in the relations between Malaysia and Brunei, will be settled without any disadvantage to Malaysia,” he said in the statement.

Earlier Friday, Dr Mahathir and DAP’s Lim Kit Siang asked Abdullah for an explanation after news reports last week that Malaysia might have signed away its oil rights.

Murphy Oil, which had entered a production-sharing contract with national oil company Petronas, for Block L and Block M offshore of Limbang, announced last week that it was ceasing operations because “it was no longer part of Malaysia.”

“Abdullah Badawi negotiated with the Sultan (of Brunei) to get back Limbang in Sarawak.

“In return he agreed to surrender the two blocks to Brunei. No Petronas representatives were present, only foreign office staff and the foreign affairs adviser to the PM,” Dr Mahathir had said in a posting on his blog Thursday

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Dr. Rais as the Foreign Minister must have advised the Cabinet then on the intention and implication. We here in BigDogDotCom already pronounced that the Cabinet did not posses the ultra vires power to decide on behalf on the nation for such a ultra mega decision.

Dr Rais Yatim bowing down to Boss PM 'Flip-Flop' Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Our question is that, where is Dr. Rais in this, at this point of time and why is he dead silent?

We want to know because the scandal involves our maruah (pride), sovereignty, diplomatic gambit, national natural  and future income and naturally the parameters for the defense of the realm. There have been unconfirmed reports of the navies of the two nation in standoff in the said area, which proximity could easily lead into an unlawful and undeclared military conflict.

PM Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak claimed that “Malaysia is still talking to Brunei to jointly develop the area”.

The Star reported this also:

Monday May 3, 2010

Malaysia still talking with Brunei on oil blocks

By VANES DEVINDRAN
vanes@thestar.com.my

SIBU: Malaysia is still in discussions with Brunei on the development of two blocks of oil-rich areas that were supposedly surrendered to the sultanate in exchange for Limbang in Sarawak.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said both nations hoped to find a win-win solution that could see opportunities for Petronas in terms of exploration and investments from Brunei.

“We are still discussing this and looking at all the aspects. This negotiation has not been completed but we will want to reach an agreement that profits both sides,” he told a press conference at Rascom Camp here yesterday.

Najib said the issue had been discussed for over 20 years with the principles achieved in 2009 and what was left now was to survey the area.

He said he was confident that it would resolve the sea and land boundary issues between the two countries.

The controversy arose after former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in a blog posting, asked why the two blocks no longer belonged to Malaysia.

He alleged that former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had given away the blocks to Brunei in 2009 in exchange for Brunei dropping its claims on Limbang in Sarawak.

Abdullah, who refuted this, said in a statement that Malaysia and Brunei agreed to establish a final and permanent sea boundary in an exchange of letters on March 16, 2009.

He said while sovereign rights to the resources in the area now belonged to Brunei, the agreement included an arrangement under which Malaysia was allowed to participate commercially for a period of 40 years.

On the land boundary, both sides agreed to a joint survey to demarcate the agreed boundary that would be final and permanent, he said.

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If we are ‘still talking’, then how come Petronas and Murphy Oil had to cease operations last month, in the L and M well blocks?

Since Dr. Rais is the current Minister in charge of Multimedia and Information, he should also be the right person to explain this, now. Its been more than 84 hours since Fourth Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir’s shocking revelation and in the cybersphere, that is an awfully very long time to be silent about it.