Call to table motion to debate on use of ‘Sarawak’ instead of ‘State’

KUCHING: Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How has advised the Sarawak state cabinet to table a motion at the impending State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting to debate on its decision to drop the word “State” for “Sarawak” and to give effect to it in all official documents.

“The change must be made, through constitutional amendments, so that it will not confuse the general rakyat, and it must be shown that it is not just an act of self-gratification,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

See, who is Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak vice chairman, was commenting on the viralled statement quoting the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg as saying that the word “State” be dropped with immediate effect.

Abang Johari was also quoted as using the example that of “YB Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak” to be called “YB Setiausaha Kerajaan Sarawak” or “Sarawak Government Secretary.”

According to See, to drop the word “State” for official purpose is not something consequential to the amendment of Article 1(2) under the Federal Constitution, adding: “We have to make substantial amendments to our Sarawak Constitution.”

In fact, he said even the Sarawak Constitution is called “The Constitution of the State of Sarawak” and “State Secretary”, together with the “State Attorney-General” and “State Financial Secretary” are so constituted and appointed under Article 11 of the Sarawak Constitution.

“It may be unconstitutional and therefore wrongful in law, to call them ‘Sarawak Government Secretary’, ‘Sarawak Government Attorney-General’ and ‘Sarawak Government Financial Secretary’ without amending the Article.

“Further, we cannot refer to the office of the Governor ‘Yang Di-Pertua Negeri’ as ‘Yang Di-Pertua Sarawak’ without amendment to almost half of all the constitutional provisions in the State Constitution.

“Similarly for the State Cabinet which is constituted as ‘Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri’ and the State Legislative Assembly constituted as ‘Dewan Undangan Negeri.’

“These are just a few examples to show the gravity of trying to drop the word ‘State’. A massive amendment to the Sarawak Constitution will have to be made to give it the constitutional effect.”

See said: “However, I must reiterate that we should not give the word ‘State’ with a capital letter ‘S’ a very narrow interpretation. An independent nation is also referred to as a ‘State’, as Sarawak and Sabah were, when they were so referred to as ‘States’ in Article 1(2) of our Federal Constitution, under the Malaysia Act 1963, described as ‘the Borneo States, namely Sabah and Sarawak’, and to mean distinct territories by implication in the same Article 1(2) before the 1976 constitutional amendment.”

“As a leader, we should be responsible in governance, instead of playing to the populist tune of dropping the word ‘State’ which serves little purposes, and it could even be counterproductive.”

See said all Sarawakian efforts should instead be focused on serving Sarawak and fulfilling the collective and greater interests of all Sarawakians.