Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem has apologised for his joke, asking that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak get a new Iban wife, after the remark sparked outrage among native groups.

"Even the prime minister himself was laughing. He knew it was meant as a joke.

"But if some people are offended by it, I am sorry and I tender my apology," he was quoted as saying by The Star Online.

Adenan had made the joke during Najib's visit to Sarawak last Saturday.

The chief minister had thanked Najib for his frequent visits to the state but noted that the prime minister still could not speak the Iban language.

He then went on to tell Najib if he wanted a new wife, he should find an Iban one but added that he was just kidding.

However, Adenan's comment courted criticism from the Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) which did not find the joke humorous.

"Adenan’s suggestion is not only uncalled for but also in bad taste.

“Why pick on Iban women? Why not others? Does he think that Iban women are cheap and can be easily traded off like commodities?

"If he thinks so, he is grossly wrong. Dayak women take pride in themselves as being Dayak women. Period," SDGA deputy president Noelle Lily Morse said in a statement today.

She added that Adenan's suggestion to a married man was also against the norm, religion and values of the Iban community, which is strictly monogamous.

“Adenan has been a great leader, and his willingness to apologise and retract his words won’t dent his credibility. Not doing so will definitely do," she said.

Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) was equally displeased with the joke.

"The chief minister's comment was truly an insult to Iban women, the Iban people and the Orang Asal.

“Although he meant it as a joke, it was a joke done in poor taste and he should offer an apology,” said JOAS vice-president Romuald Siew.