KOTA KINABALU: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan)'s Ben Chong has urged Sabah to follow Sarawak in changing the chief minister's title to premier.
The Tanjong Kapor assemblyman said such changes would also reflect the state's status as an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
The Warisan-turned-Gagasan elected representative was also reported to call the state assembly legislative in July to present two bills to make the change.
The first would limit the chief minister to two terms in office, while the other would replace the title of "assistant minister" with "deputy minister."
"I hope the change of title to premier will be done simultaneously with the above bills.
"The time has come for Sabah to make known that its status is different from other states in Malaysia," he was quoted in a local daily.
Despite his call, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is also Gagasan chief, had on March 1, 2022, indicated that the state had no plans to change the title.
He had said the use of the term 'Chief Minister' was good enough during that time.
On Feb 15, 2022, Sarawak altered the title of its "chief minister" to "premier."