Sarawak will no longer be one of 13 states, but let’s wait for the amendment: Chief Minister
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari had to sooth Sarawakians today.
Apparently, so many Sarawakians could not seem to wait to have Sarawak made an equal partner in modern Malaysia.
Sarawak netizens in particular were viraling stuff that said the chief minister had allegedly directed the word ‘state’ (negeri) to be taken out or replaced because Sarawak is no longer a ‘negeri’.
The chief minister, however, clarified today that all he said was “once the amendment to the Federal Constitution is made Sarawak will no longer be referred to as a state but a territory (wilayah in Bahasa Malaysia)”.
By that it means, the state government would remove the term “negeri” (state) from Sarawak in its official letters and documents. For example, “YB Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri” would become “YB Setiausaha Kerajaan Sarawak”.
But netizens did not scrutinise; they were too excited, and saw only what they wanted to see – Sarawak as one of three equal partners.
They skipped the “once the amendment to the Federal Constitution is made”, which means it has not been made yet.
Sarawakians’ excitement, however, must be understood. They had been waiting for too long, and cannot wait any longer.
This equal status that it once enjoyed during the formative days of Malaysia was lost over the years as the central government exerted its power without care for the original safeguard – the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
More than 50 years later, the Pakatan Harapan government of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finally decides it is ready to amend the Constitution to allow the return of those rights, specifically Sarawak as equal partner of Malaya and Sabah.
Abang Johari was interviewed after officiating at the Sarawak Career and Training (SCaT) Fair 2019 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
Meanwhile, asked to comment on the detention of a Malaysian fishing vessel by Indonesian authorities near Tanjung Datu on March 13, Abang Johari today said he would leave it to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to handle the matter.
On March 15, the 14 Malaysians who were detained safely arrived at the Santubong Boat Club following an agreement between MMEA and the Indonesian National Armed Forces. They were alleged to have trespassed into the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
