The Malaysian Insight

FORTY-SEVEN opposition MPs today urged Petronas to withdraw all of its investments from Myanmar over the government’s persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country. 

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and five other MPs led 41 lawmakers from Pakatan Harapan, PAS and Warisan, to sign a petition to protest against the government of Myanmar’s culpability in “crimes against the Rohingya”. 

“We the signatories of this petition, hereby call upon Petronas to relinquish any and all participation in any form of operation in Myanmar (business or otherwise, investments or otherwise) with effect from January 1,2018, unless and until the government of Myanmar recognises that the ethnic minority Rohingya are legitimate citizens of Myanmar and are accorded the rights and protection given to other citizens of Myanmar.

“And all manner of intimidation, subjugation, discrimination and crimes against them are stopped immediately and comprehensively,” the petition read.

Rafizi, in a press conference at Parliament, said one of Petronas’ investments in Myanmar was the Yetagun gas field in the Andaman Sea.

He said the revenue from the company’s lubricant sales in Myanmar was also small.

“As of 10am today, we have received 47 signatures. We hope more MPs will sign this petition. I will write to the Barisan Nasional chief whip to allow BN MPs to sign this petition because it is non-partisan.

“Sending a flotilla is not going to solve anything. We have to go beyond just a show. It has to be a permanent solution, and that solution can only come from political intervention.”

He said he had sent a letter to Petronas president and CEO Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin to discuss the matter further.

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Razak launched the third My Country, Concerned, Humanitarian Mission for Rohingya, with 56.6 tonnes of food and essential items for the Muslim refugees at the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. – November 8, 2017.