KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) must be studied before any move to change the title of the Sabah chief minister to "premier", said state Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
The Kinabatangan member of parliament said Part III, Article 5 of MA63 stated that "chief minister" and "menteri besar" both mean the president of the executive council in a state.
"The same provision is also in Article 160 of the Federal Constitution.
"I would like to remind the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government about the implications on the compliance process of MA63 if the state government arbitrarily amends the state constitution while Sabah is in negotiations regarding the interpretation of Article 112D concerning the 40 per cent special allocation.
"The Federal Government and the state government must together uphold and respect MA63 and the Federal Constitution at all times," he was quoted in a news portal.
Bung Moktar said Sabah should seek the reinstatement of the definition of "governor" that was omitted by Act A354, section 41, in 1976, in order to seek recognition as "equal partners".
He added that the original definition of "governor" was the head of state in a state without a ruler.