Letter
by Daniel Chong
PETITION FOR PETRONAS TO ASSUME CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IN THE CURRENT CRISIS IN MYANMAR
As you have highlighted in your blog, things are not well in Burma and for me it is not good that the corporations are able to keep silent while the people, NGOs and governments are making all the headlines in the press.
I think Burma is our little version of Afghanistan (important pipelines, warlords, refugees, drugs…) Its unsettling that we the neighbours have adopted a “close one eye” mentality.
Please have a look at this petition I wrote. If you support it, I hope you can make a mention of it in your blog. If not could you forward it to someone who might?
Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd Hassan Marican President and CEO of PETRONAS Tower 1, PETRONAS Twin Towers Kuala Lumpur City Centre 50088 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Dear Sir, We the undersigned are writing to raise serious concerns about Petronas’s involvement in the Yetagun Gas Project in Myanmar(1). Given how incredibly cruel the ruling military government is treating its citizens over the last weeks and decades, and the fact that the protest was sparked by cut in fuel subsidies(2), we feel it is necessary that Petronas release a statement to explain in as much detail as possible, how and why Petronas can do business with such a disreputable government through the state-controlled ONGC Videsh Ltd. How does Petronas answer the many activist accusations that such business activities funds the oppresive regime (3)? What is Petronas’s stance on the current worrying political situation in Myanmar? Is it business as usual (4)? Is Petronas only concerned at being a responsible corporate citizen only within the shores of our country (5)? Should Petronas say that these business deal brings about positive developments for Myanmar, can Petronas give a clear report on such changes? So many years has Myanmar opened itself to foreign trade yet the people have benefited so little and so slowly from such deals. If such trade is so beneficial to the people of Myanmar, would they be out in the streets protesting today? So far, one may read from a Bernama release that “Malaysia has provided aid in human capital development through the provision of 137 university scholarships of which 70 were provided by Petronas (Sept 26)”(4). From your website, it is stated that on 1 April 2005 “PETRONAS launched its Volunteer Oppurtunity Programme to give its staff the oppurtunity to contribute their services through community relations projects. Working in collaboration with MERCY Malaysia, PETRONAS volunteers have been sent to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Myanmar.” (6) We are sure that Petronas can do more to help the people of Myanmar. While it is understandable that that acquiring, trading and distributing oil and gas fairly and ethically is a supremely challenging affair, we hope Petronas will put further thought into the short and long term social and environmental cost of your activities and conduct. We would also like to add that since Petronas is a wholly owned government corporation, the reputation of this company stands alongside its people. While some countries’ citizens can pump fuel in their cars in total disregard of the blood drawn by the faceless private multinational petroleum corporation that did it, we for one, as proud Malaysians we tak boleh lah! Finally, as someone who has met with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar Vice-Admiral Maung Maung Khin in Yangon on 24 August 2001 (7), I hope you will put to good use your contact with the ruling party. Thank you for reading this petition. We hope to receive a response soon. Regards, Fellow Petitioners