KUCHING: There is no hidden agenda in the constitutional amendment to change the term ‘Chief Minister’ to ‘Premier’ for Sarawak’s head of government.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said the amendment was in line with Sarawak’s status as a region and not to ask for more power.
“The amendment has no other agenda. It is just to ensure that the people know that Sarawak is regional and is a partner to Sabah and Malaya in the formation of Malaysia.
“There are people who misunderstand and say that we (Sarawak) want more power, it’s not true. We just want to show our status as a friendly partner and not abuse the constitution.”
She said this when officiating at the Rabbani Family Seminar in conjunction with the Sarawak-level Quran recital at Dewan Kompleks Islam here on Tuesday (Feb 22).
She emphasised that the amendment needed to be implemented to recognise the privileged status of Sarawak which have been returned after the Constitution (Amendment) 2022 in line with the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63).
“Due to our status as a partner as enshrined in MA63, these terms needed to be changed. We have no other hidden intention.
“In fact, it has been enshrined that the highest post is the Prime Minister, followed by Sarawak Premier, and then the Chief Minister (for other states such as Melaka, Selangor and so on),” she explained.
She reiterated that the change was important.
“This is because Sarawak is a different entity from other states in accordance with MA63 involving the Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak,” she added.
