Salleh Said Keruak said the use of the word in discussing Sarawak’s place in Malaysia was “neither necessary nor constructive”.

“Malaysia moves forward when leaders choose dialogue, respect and reason over emotionally-charged language,” he said in a Facebook post.

Nanta, the works minister, said yesterday that Sarawak and its people should not be blamed for “everything” when talking about the “Sarawak formula”.

Nanta said issues related to race and religion were important in Sarawak, and that these were resolved harmoniously through discussions while in Peninsular Malaysia, “you quarrel about everything”.

“But I am worried. If we continue to quarrel over everything, then don’t blame us, don’t blame Sarawakians. If you don’t like us, just divorce us. Forget it,” Nanta was reported as saying.

Salleh, who was Sabah chief minister from 1994 to 1996, said differences in views and constructive criticism should be recognised as part of a healthy democracy, not misinterpreted as threats to unity.

“True unity is built not by silencing differences, but by addressing them with wisdom, balance and a common purpose – to move Malaysia forward together,” he said.