KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem has suggested that the Prime Minister find an Iban wife.

Adenan, who was clearly joking, was praising Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for making frequent visits to the state, when he quipped: “Thank you, all corners of Sarawak, you have been to. The only thing left is that he can’t speak Iban yet. He can speak Bahasa Malaysia, English but not Iban. I have advised him, if he wants to find a new wife, go find an Iban. I’m just kidding. Just kidding.”

Adenan was speaking in a mixture of Bahasa Sarawak and Iban during that portion of his welcoming speech at the “Inclusive Malaysia, A Digital Nation” opening ceremony along Kuching Waterfront on Saturday.

The Chief Minister is known for making off-the-cuff comments and jokes, sometimes at the expense of VIPs.

At the start of the event, Adenan began by saying he would ignore most parts of his prepared text, but was worried that the speechwriter’s feelings would be hurt.

Earlier, he said Najib had visited Sarawak more times than any other prime ministers.

“As Prime Minister, he has been to the Land of the Hornbills 46 times, more than all the previous five prime ministers combined. Today is his 47th visit. Make it 50 soon. Why? Because he sayang (love) Sarawak.

“He never comes empty handed. His hands are always full. He has allocated millions, billions of funds for us. Thank you. Please add more,” said Adenan.

Najib is on a three-day working trip to Sarawak. On Friday, he visited Kubah Ria, near a popular weekend market at Petra Jaya. After opening the digital nation event, he also visited a PR1MA housing roadshow.

On Sunday, Najib, his deputy and Adenan will be unveiling the third Pan Borneo Highway package at Serian, about 60km from here.-thestar