KUCHING – The state’s proposed constitutional amendment to rename the Sarawak chief minister’s position as “premier” will not only augur well for Sarawak – but will also put the state in the right perspective.
The state minister for Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Hamzah said this after the first-day sitting of the Sarawak assembly today.
Karim, who will be tabling the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill 2022 at the state assembly today, said amending Article 6(3) of the state constitution is a good move.
“I believe this is also what Sarawakians wanted as well, as it will enable the state to handle more autonomy.
“This goes back a long time when Malaysia was formed. What we are doing now is just ‘fine-tuning as to what we should actually be’ after the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
“After Malaysia was formed, the last two entities, Sabah and Sarawak, seemed to have somewhat ‘diluted’ and became just like any of the other member states of the Federation of Malaya.
“For this reason, we have to put things in the proper perspective,” he said.
Karim also pointed out that using the title “chief minister” is similar to putting Sarawak on par with Peninsular Malaysia states such as Penang or Melaka.
“I don’t think we want that. When Malaysia was formed, things changed. Now, we no longer want to share the same status as these states,” he added.
Meanwhile, Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan, in a statement, said the term “premier” in the amendment to replace “chief minister” is a title alien in any democratic country.
“The most appropriate term should be ‘prime minister’. This will also be consistent with what Singapore did.
“Lee Kuan Yew was addressed as ‘prime minister of Singapore’ when Singapore was part of Malaysia,” he added.
DAP’s Michael Kong, when contacted, said, “What is important is not just cosmetic changes to please the eyes but instead real and actual changes that touch the issues at heart.
“The changing of name is a good start to show that Sarawak is different and can take the lead but we must not just stop there.
“Let us work towards a real all-inclusive Sarawak that does not discriminate between races, backgrounds, or political ideology,” said Kong, who is special officer to DAP state chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
“For starters, we should seriously consider Chong Chieng Jen’s suggestion that third-generation Sarawakians be considered natives of the land. This will give a common identity to all Sarawakians and remove any form of discrimination.
“Likewise, let us show the rest of Malaysia how we can coexist and behave maturely despite our political differences.
“Start implementing equal funding allocation to all elected representatives and stop such old and outdated political tactics,” he added.
The Sarawak assembly is scheduled to see the tabling of a bill today that seeks to change the formal designation of the state government’s top executive from “chief minister” to “premier”.
The Borneo Post reported this based on a copy of the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill 2022, which the newspaper sighted.
It said that according to the copy, the proposed move would involve an amendment to Article 6(3) of the constitution, which, among other things, substitutes the words “chief minister” with the word “premier”.
This bill is slated to be tabled by Karim.
The bill also proposes an amendment to Article 7A to change the designation of “assistant minister” to “deputy minister”, it added. The report noted that this would impact all 26 assistant ministers currently working in the state.
“Also proposed is an amendment to Article 44 of the state constitution on the interpretation of ‘premier’ to mean the chief minister who is appointed under Article 6(3) of the constitution, and any reference to the chief minister in any written law shall then refer to the ‘premier’,” the Borneo Post reported.
If passed, the ordinance shall come into force on a date appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri by notification in the gazette, it added. – The Vibes, February 15, 2022
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