KUCHING: Sarawak has proposed that the designation of 'Chief Minister' be re-styled to 'premier' to correctly reflect the status of Sarawak as different from the other States in the Federation.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Hamzah said the recent amendments to the Federal Constitution have restored the spirit originally contemplated by the parties to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
"When Sarawak agreed to be a party in the formation of Malaysia, it was intended that it retain its status as one of the three regions (Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak) that formed the new Federation of Malaysia."
"This puts Sarawak as one of the three regions and is to be regarded not with the same status as the other component states in the Federation of Malaya.
"The special status of Sarawak needs to be reflected in the manner different from other states in the federation," he said when tabling the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2022 at the state legislative assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
Karim said as practised in other commonwealth regions assuming similar set ups with Malaysia including Australia and Canada, the head of the federation is styled as prime minister and heads of regions constituting the federation are styled as premier while the other sub-regions or states are headed by chief ministers.
Apart from that, he said, currently, Article 7A of the Constitution of the State of Sarawak provides the designation of "assistant ministers" to assist the chief minister and ministers to discharge their duties and functions.
He said in view of the responsibilities that they hold and exercise, it is necessary to reflect the proper designation and style from that of "assistant minister" to "deputy minister".
"Hence, it is proposed that the designation of "assistant minister" be re-styled as "deputy minister" to better reflect their functions and responsibilities," Karim added.
However, Ba' Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian, when debating the Bill, said by amending the term "chief minister" to "premier" without concurrent amendments in the Federal Constitution, could destroy the basic structure of the Federal Constitution, as it would render certain provisions meaningless and create confusion.
He said such unilateral amendments would create ambiguities, and the government should exercise caution in this matter.
"What is more important to focus upon, is to implement our rights and claim the promises made to us during the formation of Malaysia. Also, the government should take concrete action on the motion which was passed unanimously in 2015 in the state assembly to demand Putrajaya implement rights under the MA63, mandating to the state government to review all federal legislation, including to amend or repeal laws that affected the state's rights to its natural resources
"These laws include the Territorial Sea Act 2012 that limit the state's territorial waters to within three nautical miles of the coast, the Continental Shelf Act and the Petroleum Act 1966.
Baru said he opposed the Bill as it would be better to take concrete steps which will benefit Sarawak and Sarawakians tangibly rather than rushing into a name change that may bring some self-gratification but ultimately be criticised for being unconstitutional.