Who is Entitled to the Real Kazakh Natural Gas?

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Once again there is tragedy in Muslim lands. After the tragedy in Afghanistan, there was internal chaos in Kazakhstan. The country that liberated itself from the shackles of the Soviet Union experienced riots due to rising fuel prices so that the government of Kazakhstan removed subsidies for gas fuel starting January 1 (detik.com/7/01/22).

A total of 164 people died, 5,800 people were detained by the police during the protests. The President of Kazakhstan asked Russia for help in sending troops to quell the riots of 'terrorists'. (cnnindonesia.com/9/01/22).

The citizens of Kazakhstan refuse the abolition of gas subsidies for gas fuel because they use vehicles that run on liquid fuel or LPG. The removal of subsidies has resulted in skyrocketing fuel prices, while Kazakhs cannot afford it.

In fact, Kazakhstan has gas reserves that are quite tempting. Kazakhstan is an important region that connects two continents, namely Asia and Europe. Moreover, the Central Asian region is indeed blessed with high natural resources. According to the Oil & Gas Journal, gas reserves in Kazakhstan have reached 3 trillion cubic meters and a projected reserve of 5 trillion cubic meters. Compare this with the amount of natural gas content in Indonesia which is 1.25 trillion cubic meters (BP Global Company).

Kazakhstan also has the second largest uranium, chromium, lead and zinc reserves, the third largest manganese reserves, the fifth largest copper reserves, and ranks in the top ten for coal, iron and gold. Kazakhstan also exports diamonds (international crisis group, 2007)

Based on investment documents from KazMunayGas (the state oil and natural gas company of Kazakhstan) in 2019, Kazakhstan has 2 oil fields named Kashagan and Karachaganak. Coupled with 1 oil refinery named Tengiz. The mega project for 2022 from the document states that the majority ownership of oil refineries and oil fields is held by foreign companies. KazMunayGas only holds 26.88% ownership of oil fields and only 20% of oil refineries. While the remaining ownership is held by foreign companies, namely Chevron, ExxonMobil, Lukarco, INPEX, CNPC, TOTAL, Shell, Eni, and Lukoil.

If the names of the tenders above are based on the interests of the citizens of Kazakhstan, then why is the price skyrocketing? In accordance with economic theory, if the availability of goods is abundant, it must be directly proportional to the price. The rarer it is, the more expensive it is. Meanwhile, it is known that Kazakhstan is rich in natural gas and oil resources.

The facts above are quite astonishing. A country rich in natural gas, in fact, is experiencing a scarcity of natural gas, combined with a skyrocketing price. The question is, where is all this natural gas and oil distributed? Natural gas and oil that should belong to the citizens of Kazakhstan completely, are taken by greedy capitalists. They exploit natural gas and oil without regard for the welfare of the citizens of Kazakhstan. Natural resources in Muslim countries are exploited for the benefit of certain parties, where they do not think about the welfare of many people, especially Muslims.

In fact, Islam has a solution for all problems, including the problem of using natural resources. In Islam, natural resources, especially natural gas and oil, are part of public ownership which the state is obliged to manage. Natural resources should not be given to the private sector, individuals, especially to the infidel colonizers of the Harbi fi'lan.

According to Shaykh Taqiyuddin an-Nabhani, Islam has 3 ownerships. 1) Individual Ownership (Milikiyah Fardhiyah), 2) Public Ownership (Milikiyah 'Ammah) and 3) State Ownership (Milikiyah Daulah). Natural gas or oil is included in the 2nd category, namely public ownership. Who has the right to use it is the whole community, both Muslims and non-Muslims.

However, the use of natural gas and oil is difficult for the general public. There must be research from scientists and technology to extract and process natural gas so that it can be extracted into ready-to-use fuel. So the management of natural gas and oil must be left to the state so that no individual or group can privatize it. Then the state distributes all the processed natural resources to the public for free. The state must not privatize it at all, let alone set it at a high price until it is difficult for people to get it.

Unfortunately, such a state will exist when Islam is applied in all aspects of life. Unlike now, in all Islamic countries, including in Kazakhstan itself, Islam is only applied from the aspect of ritual worship. Even some of the Shari'a are criminalized and demonized. Not a few also some Muslims are afraid of his teachings.

You can also read this article in Indonesian at https://www.topswara.com/2022/01/siapa-sebenarnya-yang-berhak-atas-gas.html