KUCHING: Sarawak will drop the use of ‘state’ in all its official and administrative affairs as far as the Sarawak government goes.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the decision came about in light of the amendment bill on Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution.
Despite the forthcoming change of policy, the Asajaya assemblyman said this did not mean that Sarawak would no longer be a state in Malaysia.
“It is our intention to distinguish Sarawak from other states in Malaysia which are not the signatories of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“MA63 was inked among three regions namely the Federation of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak. Because of this, we (Sarawak) should not be placed at the same level with other states,” he said when met by journalists at the Sarawak Youth Run 2019 at Le’Park near the Civic Centre here yesterday.
Abdul Karim pointed out that the government in Sarawak will be mentioned as ‘Sarawak government’ once the amendment bill is passed in the Parliament.
He said portfolios like the State Secretary of Sarawak should be known as the Secretary of Sarawak Government.
According to him, the decision to drop the use of ‘state’ was announced by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg during a briefing held in Betong recently.
Abdul Karim opined that such a decision need not be publicised in a big way since it involved only the official affairs of the Sarawak government.
He also hoped that no quarter would capitalise on the subject matter to jeopardise the relationship between the Sarawak government and the federal government. -TheBorneoPost
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