Abdul Karim said the change was in line with the amendments to the Federal Constitution on the rights of Sarawak and Sabah that came into force on Feb 11. – Borneo Post pic
KUCHING, Feb 15 — The proposed amendment to change the designation and style of the name of the chief minister’s post to ‘premier’ is to correctly reflect the status of Sarawak as different from other states in the Federation of Malaysia, said Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Tabling the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill, 2022 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting today, he said the change was in line with the amendments to the Federal Constitution on the rights of Sarawak and Sabah that came into force on Feb 11.
“The recent amendments to the Federal Constitution restores the spirit originally contemplated by the parties to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and that is, when Sarawak agreed to be a party in the formation of Malaysia, it was intended that Sarawak 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 Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts minister said.
Abdul Karim said in other Commonwealth regions assuming similar set up with Malaysia including Australia and Canada, the Head of the Federation is styled as prime minister and Heads of Regions constituting the Federation is styled as premier while the other sub-regions or states are headed by chief ministers.
He also said that Article 7A of the Constitution of the State of Sarawak currently provides the designation of ‘assistant ministers’ to assist the chief minister and ministers to discharge their duties and functions.
“In view of the responsibilities that they hold and exercise, it is therefore 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,” he said.
During his speech, Abdul Karim pointed out that as the definition of ‘the Federation’ in the Federal Constitution was amended, it is consequential that the definition of ‘the Federation’ in the State Constitution be amended.
“Presently, under the State Constitution, ‘the Federation’ means ‘the Federation to be known, on and after Malaysia Day, by the name Malaysia.’
“Whereas before the recent amendment to the definition of ‘the Federation’ in the Federal Constitution, the definition of ‘the Federation’ means ‘the Federation established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957’,” he said.
He said as such the new interpretation of ‘the Federation’ will be read as “the Federation means the Federation that was first established under the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 and further pursuant to an Agreement concluded on the ninth day of July, nineteen hundred and sixty-three between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore, the Federation is called Malaysia with the Colonies of North Borneo and Sarawak and the State of Singapore federated with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya as the States of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in accordance with the constitutional instruments annexed thereto but under and by virtue of the Agreement relating to the separation of Singapore from Malaysia as an independent and sovereign State dated seventh day of August, nineteen hundred and sixty-five, Singapore has ceased to be a state of Malaysia.”
“Therefore, to be consistent with the new interpretation of ‘the Federation’ in the Federal Constitution, it is necessary that the definition of ‘the Federation’ in the State Constitution be amended accordingly,” said Abdul Karim. — Bernama