KUCHING, March 1 ― The Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 to replace the title ‘chief minister’ with ‘premier’, ‘deputy chief minister’ with ‘deputy premier’, and ‘assistant minister’ with ‘deputy minister’, has been gazetted and will take effect starting today (March 1).
The Sarawak’s Attorney General’s Chambers announced the gazettement on its website today.
It attached a Sarawak Government Gazette dated Feb 28 this year, which amongst others stated the Yang di-Pertua Negeri has appointed March 1, 2022 as the date on which the Ordinance shall come into force.
When contacted, Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah confirmed the gazettement of the amendment to the State Constitution
“With the Amendment to the State Constitution already being gazetted and coming into force as on March 1, 2022, I opine,that legally we can address our state chief executive as ‘premier’, his deputy as ‘deputy premier’, and ‘assistant ministers’ as ‘deputy ministers’,” he said.
Abdul Karim had tabled the Constitution of the State of Sarawak (Amendment) Bill 2022 during the special sitting of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) last month.
On Feb 15, the DUN passed the Bill by more than a two-thirds majority to provide for the change in the terms to ‘premier’, ‘deputy premier’, and ‘deputy ministers’.
In his speech during the tabling of the Bill, Abdul Karim had said the recent amendment to the Federal Constitution restored the original spirit of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement (MA63) when Sarawak agreed to participate in the formation of Malaysia, where its status as one of the three provinces (Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak) should be maintained.
Therefore, he said, it placed Sarawak as one of the three provinces and considered its status was not the same as other states in the Federation of Malaya.
He also said as practised in other Commonwealth territories whose establishment is similar to Malaysia, including Australia and Canada, the Head of the Federation is referred to as the prime minister and the Head of the Territory that forms the Federation is referred to as the ‘premier’ while other states are headed by the chief minister.
He added the changes would also properly portray Sarawak’s status as different from other states in the Federation. ― Borneo Post
