Mahathir said the “Sabah for Sabahans” and “Sarawak for Sarawakians” mentality was unhealthy, adding that everyone should think of themselves as Malaysians and not individual territories.

“I would like to remind everyone that we are all Malaysians.

“We may live in Sabah or Sarawak or in the peninsula, but we are Malaysians,” he said.

Prior to this, the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) urged the federal government to give Sarawak full autonomy over education policies following a decision to introduce lessons on khat calligraphy in vernacular primary schools from next year.

It was also reported that the Sabah Progressive Party, Parti Bersatu Sabah and Liberal Democratic Party supported Chinese educationist group Dong Zong’s stance in opposing the introduction of khat.

The federal government also drew flak after Prof Taufiq Yap Yun Hin’s appointment as Universiti Malaysia Sabah vice-chancellor, a decision which was made without consulting the state government.