Sarawak to consult AG on replacement term for 'state'

 

Sarawak will consult with Attorney-General Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh to determine the most appropriate term to replace the word “state” in Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, based on the Federal Constitution.

Premier Abang Johari Openg emphasised that considering Malaysia’s position as a member of the Commonwealth, the term used should also align with the organisation’s legal practices.

“We also want feedback from the public regarding the preferred term so we will adjust it according to the laws, especially those practised in Commonwealth countries.

“In Commonwealth countries, they use terms like ‘provincial legislature’; for example, in Canada, they refer to it as ‘provincial parliament’... We cannot use the term ‘territory’; otherwise, we would be a Federal Territory,” he said.

Abang Johari (above) spoke to reporters after a Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri’s residence in Kuching today.

He said the state committee, represented by Deputy Law, Malaysia Agreement 1963 and State-Federal Relations Minister Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, will discuss the matter with Terrirudin.

Yesterday, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly speaker Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar proposed that the Sarawak executive branch decide on a more suitable term to replace the word “state” in the assembly’s name.

He believed the term should be dropped, in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963, which recognises Sarawak as a territory and not one of the federation’s 13 states.

- Bernama