Change to Sabah premier ‘must come with more power’

Sabah assemblymen Justin Wong (left) and Junz Wong say the change is appropriate in the current political climate.

PETALING JAYA: Two Warisan assemblymen, backing calls for the title of Sabah chief minister to be changed to “premier”, say they had floated the same idea two years ago.

Sri Tanjong assemblyman Justin Wong and Tanjung Aru assemblyman Junz Wong said they made similar calls in February 2022 for Sabah to emulate Sarawak in renaming the title of the head of the state government.

Justin said the change was appropriate in the current political landscape, particularly after Parliament amended the Federal Constitution to elevate Sabah and Sarawak’s status in the federation.

However, he said there must be some substance to accompany this change. Greater power should be accorded to the Sabah premier, rather than the change just amounting to mere window dressing.

“It must be backed with more autonomous powers and this needs to be spelled out in the constitution. Substance must be over form, otherwise the change of name is of no use,” he told FMT.

He said Warisan had urged the Sabah government to implement the change “as soon as possible” in 2022.

Junz said it is now up to the Hajiji Noor state government to table an amendment to the state constitution for the name change.

“We have been calling for this for a long time, since Abang Johari Openg’s title was changed. It should be (implemented) and I will support the move,” said the Warisan vice-president.

In February 2022, Sarawak also changed the titles of “deputy chief minister” and “assistant minister” to “deputy premier” and “deputy minister”, respectively.

Last Monday, Tanjong Kapor assemblyman Ben Chong revived calls for the Sabah government to emulate Sarawak, expressing hope this could be tabled in the state assembly in July.

This was backed by Parti Bersatu Sabah and the Liberal Democratic Party, both members of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition led by Hajiji.

PBS vice-president Ruslan Muharam said the change would reflect Sabah’s position as a partner in Malaysia’s formation, consistent with the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

On the other hand, LDP vice-president David Ong said the term “premier” conveyed connotations of autonomy and leadership, preserving the state’s distinctiveness in Malaysia.