In Malaysia, it is used to refer to the heads of government, called in their Malay language term Ketua Menteri (literally Chief Minister), of the Malaysian states without a sultan, i.e., Malacca, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, while the Malay language term Menteri Besar (literally Great Minister) is used in other states with a monarch.
By analogy the term is often applied to various other high ministerial offices, e.g. in a princely state before or during the British raj or the chancellors of the Chinese states.
