THE federally administered Bintulu Port in Sarawak has been reverted to state control with the passing of two bills in the Dewan Rakyat late yesterday.
The bills are to repeal an area in the Bintulu district that had been declared a federal port – Declaration of an Area in the Bintulu District to be a Federal Port (Repeal) Bill 2024 – and a bill to dissolve the Bintulu Port Authority - Bintulu Port Authority (Dissolution) Bill 2024.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Sri Fadillah Yusof said after the unanimous passing of the bills that the handover was in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Sarawak law, the Port Authorities Ordinance 1961.
Under the ordinances, all ports in Sarawak are under the jurisdiction of the Sarawak government.
However, the official take over date will only be determined after the three committees that have been established to iron out administrative details - the technical committee, the working committee, and the special committee – have completed their work to sort out matters related to human resources, assets and finance.
The special committee is tasked with overseeing and facilitating the execution of the March 22 memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the federal ministry of transport and Sarawak's ministry of infrastructure and port development in Kuching for the smooth transfer of assets and management.
The committee is co-chaired by the Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Sarawak Deputy Premier Douglas Uggah.
Fadillah said the bills will only be gazetted after the completion of those tasks with the effective date to be determined by Loke.
“The determination of the effective date will be set after all reviews, discussions, and negotiations between the Federal government and the Sarawak government regarding legal, port operations, financial, and human resource matters have received agreement from both parties,” Fadillah said.
He said all these are expected to be finalised this year.
Uggah has hailed the handover as "a most historical event and a cause for celebration”.
“With this most momentous achievement, all ports in the state now belong to us,” Uggah, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development, said in a statement.
Uggah said he is very confident Sarawak will take over the port by the end of the year.
Sarawak's demand for control over Bintulu Port dates back to at least the early 2000s. The state government has consistently sought to have the port, which has been under federal control since it was declared a federal port in 1978 and became operational in 1981, returned to state jurisdiction.
In recent years, particularly under the leadership of Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the state has intensified its efforts to regain control of the port.
In January 2023, Abang Johari said the takeover would allow Sarawak to implement a cohesive development strategy for all its ports, enhancing their roles in trade promotion and global shipping connectivity.
The demand aligns with the broader context of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which grants Sarawak and Sabah certain autonomous rights.
Bintulu Port last year handled a total cargo tonnage of 50.73 million tonnes. This was an increase of 7.6% from the previous year, making it one of the port's best performances in its history. – July 18, 2024.
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