Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem has been urged to stop all references to Sarawak as just one of Malaysia's 13 states.

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) president Dr Sim Kui Hian said this needs to happen if Sarawak wants to be treated as an equal partner in the federation, and to regain autonomy from Putrajaya.

“If we are serious about our efforts to reclaim what belong to us from Putrajaya, then we should stop belittling ourselves by calling Sarawak as another state in Malaysia.

"Sarawak should be known as Sarawak, not one of the 13 states in the formation of Malaysia,” Sim was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.

The Sarawak local government minister claimed Adenan had no objections when he raised this matter.

“He did not scold me, but instead he just smiled. That to me meant that he has no objection."

Earlier in his speech at a book launch in Kuching, Sim said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak also responded positively when he asked Putrajaya to return what belongs to Sarawak to its people.

“The prime minister said that was a fair suggestion."

The Batu Kawah assemblyperson also said he was just stating facts when calling for Sarawak not to be referred as a state, and that he meant no disrespect to the federation or the federal constitution.

Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore joined Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. Singapore left the federation in 1965.

Both Sarawak and Sabah have some form of autonomy, especially concerning immigration.

Kuching is currently in negotiations with Putrajaya for even more autonomy.