KOTA KINABALU: The Sarawak Premier has been urged to consider the term ‘Constituent Province’ to settle the ongoing debate about terms quickly.
Making the call, Sarawak Associations for People Aspiration (Sapa) Publicity and Information Chief Peter John Jaban (pic) said more importantly, whatever term is settled on must be backed by a proper definition and implementation of rights and protections for the two Borneo states through the Federal Constitution.
“’Provinsi’ or Province works well in Malay, and in English and French, the international languages of business and diplomacy, to convey an appropriate status,” he said in a statement, Monday.
“It is used, for example, in the Province of Quebec in Canada or the Province of Aceh in Indonesia, both of which have autonomy over various matters including language, economy, taxation, education and even resource rights.
“Moreover, it is not a term currently in use within the Malaysian Constitution to describe a different status.”
He claimed “Region” has no defined political meaning internationally as it is a geographical term.
“Territory is even less appropriate as it suggests, in international terms, a subordinate relationship.
“In Malay, ‘Wilayah’ becomes problematic because of the way it has been applied under the Federal Constitution.
“Clearly neither Sabah nor Sarawak will accept the same description as Labuan or Putrajaya.
“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.
Peter said a decision must be made and must be made quickly.
“We will only be able to move the debate on when our status as an autonomous province is spelt out fully in the Federal Constitution.
“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.
“This will avoid further instances in which our Premier is forced to repudiate the statements of Federal Ministers.
“We need to settle on a term that represents our position as equal partners within Malaysia, both nationally and internationally,” he said.