Malaysia Day has become a nationwide public holiday for more than a decade now but have you ever wondered about the difference between our National Day (31 August) and Malaysia Day (16 September) and the history?
On these we asked bibliophile and writer, Yusuf Mustanir, to share his knowledge.
Take us back to your earliest memories of independence
I used to live in Kampung Bintangor in Kuching. One morning my mom woke me up and asked whether I would like to go with my dad to Pangkalan Batu. When we reached there, it was so crowded that I thought a regatta was being held. We waited until noon and that was when a boat came. On it was Sir Alexander Waddell, who was the governor of Sarawak at the time. My father quickly brought me to the front and since I was only five years old, he put me on his shoulder when Sir Alexander Waddell extended his hands to shake mine. But what reminded me the most were the words the governor said after that. “Happy independence young man. Now the country is yours,” he said. I remember the words very clearly. It was before his departure to London.
Malaysia Day on September 16 commemorates the establishment of the Malaysian Federation on the same date in 1963. It was also the date of the joint participation of Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia. Elaborate on it.
The idea was brought up by Tunku Abdul Rahman during a function in Singapore on 27 May 1961. That idea provoked a lot of debates as some supported it while some were against it. Then, on 1 November 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman went to the United Kingdom (UK) to talk to Prime Minister Sir Harold Macmillan about the idea. Sir Harold Macmillan agreed in principle. However, at that same time, the British wanted to retain the right of having bases in Singapore to defend Malaysia and other members of the Commonwealth while at the same time kept South East Asia in peace. Based on the book ‘Looking Back’ by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the formation of Malaysia agreement was signed on 1 August 1962 between the British and Malaya. Initially, I was confused about whether it was the Malaysian Agreement of 1963, but after doing my research, I realised that it was an agreement on the formation of Malaysia. The Malaysia Agreement 1963 was signed on 9 July 1963. That is the difference between the two agreements, which not a lot of people know about. Based on the first agreement, the formation of Malaysia was initially set on 31 August 1963 to avoid confusion in the future. Based on the Cobbold Commission back then, most of the people of North Borneo and Sarawak supported 31 August as the date. Unfortunately, neighbouring countries — Indonesia and the Philippines — disagreed with the agreement due to the fear of political issues. Additionally, some of the people in Sabah and Sarawak were against it as well due to fear of being colonised. There was also the Brunei Revolt by Sheikh Azahari Sheikh Mahmud and the threat of communism delayed the formation of Malaysia. However, out of the four factors, the biggest opposition was Sukarno of Indonesia. He asked the United Nations to investigate whether Sarawakians agreed to the formation of Malaysia. After a thorough investigation, it was proven that most Sarawakians agreed to it.
In 2010, 16 September became a public holiday. Any comments on how we should make this day as meaningful as 31 August? What is the difference between the celebration back in the day and now?
When I was in school, most of our celebrations revolved around August 31 which is the National Day as other dates were not mentioned in our history books. Now, as we are more educated and well-informed, we know that there are three celebrations — Sarawak Self Government Day (22 July), National Day (31 August) and another one which is Malaysia Day (16 September).
Any suggestion for making celebration of Malaysia Day more meaningful, and make the younger generation appreciate it like their elders do?
I think we should revise the facts in the history books that we are teaching the younger generation these days. Current history books are very vague and lack information. For example, the two agreements that I mentioned earlier are not included in the secondary school history books. I believe the history books should be revised and rearranged based on chronology with accurate information so that they don’t confuse the younger generation about the formation of Malaysia.
What do you want from our younger generation?
I would like them to stop believing in fake news and use their intelligence to find out whether the news was from legitimate sources. Additionally, I hope they would be more intellectual and innovative. They should be ready to for meritocracy and stop having the mindset of what we would call a ‘subsidised society’ that just relies on assistance from the government. They should strive for their future. I always tell my children to struggle for success. Strive to be a world-class society. That does not means just serving the country but also the world. Always try to prove yourself and become a person with world-class standard.
