Petronas has been urged to explain why it appointed a Kuala Lumpur-based company as its agent to handle the ticketing and travelling needs of its personnel, after terminating the services of East Malaysian tour companies that had beeing handling this.

This move by the national oil company is very unfair to the Sarawakian companies, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sarawak chapter chairperson Chris Kon said.

"Petronas imposed new criteria for the companies wishing to continue as their panel agents, one of them being that they must have branches in all the states.

"The criteria were given on very short notice, and as a result, the local companies lost their businesses with Petronas because they could not fulfil the criteria.

“Big companies benefit, while state-based companies lose out,” Kon was quoted as saying by The Borneo Post today.

The news daily said this issue was first brought to its attention by the managing director of a local tour agency, who requested anonymity.

The agency chief had said he was concerned as a Sarawakian over what he saw as an unjust move against East Malaysian tour agents.

Effective July 1 this year, the MD said, the panel of four Sarawak-based tour companies and three Sabah-based tour companies that had been handling Petronas' travel and ticketing needs were suddenly unable to do so due to policy changes.

"Instead, all travelling matters are now being handled by one Kuala Lumpur-based tour company, which has a joint venture with a French company.

"As a result, there has been retrenchment of staff by some of the companies that are suffering from financial losses, thus making locals lose their jobs.

“The sudden change in policy also resulted in millions of ringgit worth of unpaid bills owed by Petronas.

“Petronas needs to explain about this new policy that is making Sarawakian and Sabahan companies lose out,” the MD was quoted as saying.

Why team up with a foreign-linked agent?

He questioned Petronas' sense of corporate 'commercial' responsibility, for creating new policies that are detrimental to local companies.

"Why does it choose to team up with only one agent that is linked to a foreign company when all this while there were agents from Sarawak and Sabah as their panel?

"Are the Malaysian agents not qualified to handle their travelling needs? Why the need to outsource, so to speak?

“All International Air Transport Association (IATA) certified tour agents in the country are qualified to handle the kind of travel services required by Petronas to every corner of the world. There is no question about it,” he said.

Though his agency was not one of those affected, he said he still viewed this matter seriously.

"I am voicing this out from a patriotic sense for our people here. Why are Sarawakians and Sabahans becoming bystanders when they are more than qualified, with many years of industry experience?

“To be fair, local agents must be involved, not become bystanders,” he said.

Petronas has been at loggerheads with the Sarawak state government recently after the gas and oil firm retrenched local staff while recruiting more staff from West Malaysia.

The state had earlier imposed a moratorium on new work permits for Petronas workers from West Malaysia, pending complaints that local workers were not prioritised.

Sarawak has autonomy on immigration and non-Sarawakian Malaysians need to obtain a work permit under the Malaysia Agreement.