KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 -- Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has urged that Sarawak's oil and gas demands be handled through unity and fairness, stressing that negotiations should foster national cohesion rather than deepen divisions.

In a report published in Free Malaysia Today, the Perikatan Nasional deputy chairman said Petronas, as the sole Malaysian firm on the Fortune Global 500 list, symbolises national pride and should be a platform for collaboration, not confrontation.

"Sarawak should work with Petronas and strike a deal - just as any other country does," said Hamzah, who is also Bersatu deputy president and the MP for Larut.

He noted that in most oil-producing nations, host states typically receive royalties of up to 1...