A SARAWAK rights activist has asked Premier Abang Johari Openg to consider the state’s status in the Malaysian federation as a “province” rather than “region” at Thursday’s Malaysia Agreement 1963 meeting between the federal government and Sarawak in Kuching.

Peter John Jaban of Sarawak Association for People Aspiration said the term “reflects the political aspirations of Sarawak for autonomy”.

“Provinsi, or province, works well in Malay, English and French, the international languages of business and diplomacy, to convey an appropriate status,” he said.

Jaban cited the province of Quebec in Canada or the province of Aceh in Indonesia as examples.

“Both have autonomy over various matters, including language, economy, taxation, education and even resource rights,” he said.

“Moreover, it is not a term currently in use in the Malaysian constitution to describe a different status.”

Jaban said “region” has no defined political meaning internationally.

“It is a geographical term,” he said.

Jaban said “territory” is even less appropriate as it suggests, in international terms, a subordinate relationship.

He said the term “wilayah” has become problematic because of the way it has been applied in the Federal Constitution.

“Clearly, neither Sabah nor Sarawak will accept the same description as Labuan or Putrajaya,” he said.

“Sabah and Sarawak are both constituent states of Malaysia, but we need a term to distinguish them from the federated states of Malaya.”

He said a decision must be made quickly.

“We will only be able to continue the debate when our status as an autonomous province is spelt out fully in the Federal Constitution,” he said.

“It must be made clear through legislation that this is not simply a geographical description but also a statement about our political and legal status in the nation.”

The debate on the status of the two Borneo states reignited when Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, in his policy speech at Umno General Assembly last Friday, said Sabah and Sarawak have been accorded the status of region and are no longer regarded as states within Malaysia.

However, the Sarawak premier told reporters yesterday that the state’s status as a region is still a proposal and has not been gazetted.

Abang Johari said he will bring up the matter in a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuching.

Anwar is making a two-day working visit to the state, his first since becoming prime minister, beginning Wednesday. – January 16, 2023.