KUCHING: Calling Sarawak a ‘wilayah’ (region) is an admission by the federal government that Sarawak is not just one of the states in Malaysia.
It means that Sarawak is starting to have equal status as Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, said political analyst Datuk Peter Minos.
“Calling Sarawak a region and not a state is great. It enhances our status,” he said in a statement today. Psychologically at least, this matters a lot to us in Sarawak,” he said.
Minos, who is also Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) chairman, gave a parallel example — the upgrading of Samarahan’s status.
“Upgrading Samarahan to a municipal council from a district council does make us feel a bit bigger, better, and happier,” he said.
He agreed with Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s views on the matter of Sarawak as a region.
On Thursday (Apr 8), Abdul Karim said he fully agreed with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in declaring that Sarawak is a region.
However, he pointed out that the Federal Constitution must be amended to incorporate Sarawak and Sabah as regions and not as states.
