KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Sarawak’s initiative to pass a Bill changing the title of its "chief minister” to "premier” could be the state’s first step to achieving more autonomy within the Malaysian Federation, several political observers said.

Political scientist James Chin from the University of Tasmania told The Straits Times that with the Bill, Sarawak was sending a signal to Putrajaya that it was not just one of the "state”.

"Sarawak is saying ‘we are different’,” Chin, the university’s director of the Asia Institute, was quoted saying by the Singapore newspaper in a report published today.

He added that the southern Borneo state may look at further changes to "more substantive” issues, and predicted Sabah to follow suit.

Sarawak had previously showed its willingness to go against the federal government in legal disputes with Malaysia’s national petroleum company Petronas over a higher revenue share of oil and gas produced in the state.

The tussle was widely believed to have led to Petronas’ former chief executive quitting his role in 2020 after a disagreement with then Prime Minister Tam Sri Muhyiddin Yassin over giving more oil money to Sarawak.

Universiti Putra Malaysia political scientist Jayum Jawan told the Singapore paper that this change had been in the offing, and that he hoped to see more "more substantive policies and programmes” following the constitutional change.

"I would want to see how they address the many grievances that have been aired over the last many years and especially highlighted in the campaigns during the last general elections,” he was quoted saying.

Professor Lee Kuok Tiung, from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said the amendment Bill is "just another (form of) pressure Sarawak is applying on the federal government for more autonomy” and that the state will not stop there.

But the Sabah-based Lee told The Straits Times that "it would not be easy” for Sabah to follow in Sarawak’s footsteps. 

He pointed out that unlike Sarawak, the current Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government does not have the two-thirds control of the state legislative assembly needed to amend its constitution.

Sarawak passed the amendment yesterday after two readings, with 67 assemblymen out of the 82 seats in the House voting in support.

The first count was short of the required two-thirds majority of 55 supporting votes. Lawmakers from the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition hold 76 of 82 seats in the Sarawak state assembly.