Wan Junaidi: “Premier” title for Sarawak Chief Minister a matter of status

THE proposed move to rename the position of Sarawak’s head of government from chief minister to premier will not see any increase in financing for the head of the state administration, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. 

He also said that the change in title will not bring about any financial returns for the person helming the post and that this was merely a matter of status, adding that the “premier” title was not completely foreign as the leaders of state governments in Australia were also known as such. 

“Australia is federated too, just like us, whereby the whole of Australia has a federal government and a federal Parliament, and they also have the state governments and state assemblies,” he was reported as saying in an interview with news portal Free Malaysia Today. 

According to Wan Junaidi, whatever the Sarawak government deemed was right to do, including the decision on the change of title, should be no issue as long as it could be passed in the state assembly. 

The Santubong MP said that the only minor issue would be coming up with a Malay word for the new title, adding that the state government might need to consult Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka on this matter. 

He maintained that this was not just a cosmetic change as it involved the status of the people of Sarawak. 

The change in title will be made in a constitutional amendment that will be tabled at the state assembly today. The bill also proposes to change the title of “assistant minister” to “deputy minister”. 

The proposed change comes days after the Federal Constitution was amended to re-establish Sarawak and Sabah as one of three equal partners in the formation of Malaysia in 1963. 

Yesterday (Feb 14), Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah pointed out that the change in title would not bring about significant change but was only meant to “refine terms”. – Feb 15, 2022 

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