The Federal Government under the stewardship of the current Prime Minister Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak decided in 2009 that August 31 should be celebrated as the National Day and not the Independent Day and September 16, Malaysia Day.
He agreed that Sarawak is not just a State within the Federation of Malaysia but a founding State or a party to its formation. The Cobbold Commission Report states that Malaysia is a Federation of equality and not domination by Kuala Lumpur or some other parties. In other words, Sarawak did not secede to be a British Colony controlled by London just to be controlled by another power. Hence, Sarawak must insist on its autonomy.
More appropriately, August 31, 1957 was the day the Federation of Malaya got its Independence from the British. This was followed by the formation of Malaysia six years later on 16 September 1963.
Happy 54th Malaysia Day though at one time, more specifically under the premiership of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed for 22 years, it was almost a taboo to talk about Malaysia Day on September 16, no need to talk about celebrating it, though the date is so significant to Sarawak and by extension Sabah.
The Chief Minister, Datuk Pattinggi Abang Haji Johari Tun Openg, in his speech during a rally and parade held in conjunction with the state- level Malaysia Day celebration in Sibu, said he considered 16 September as the most important date in the history of Malaysia if compared to August 31 because Malaysia had not been formed before the date.
For this reason, the people must together uphold the date and take appropriate steps to move forward to future, which will be more significant for all the people of Malaysia. In this regards, the past leaders, comprising diverse ethnic groups, all agreed to form Malaysia together with the Federation of Malaya and Sabah. The people respect and uphold the agreements until an unforeseeable future.
The Federal Government under the stewardship of the current Prime Minister Dato Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak decided in 2009 that August 31 should be celebrated as the National Day and not the Independent Day. But this does not mean that the people in Sarawak do not recognize the significance of the date.
More appropriately, August 31, 1957 was the day the Federation of Malaya got its Independence from the British. This was followed by the formation of Malaysia six years later on 16 September 1963.
Datuk Pattinggi Abang Haji Johari said Sarawakians or Sabahans feel that it is important to give due recognition to 16 September and not be forgotten as a part of history because Sarawak and Sabah were not annexed as a part of Malaysia. All the three territories; Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah were parties to the formation of Malaysia.
He believed believe the bigger implication is that the people in Sarawak and Sabah as eastern parts of Malaysia do not want to be taken for granted historically, economically and also politically.
For example, Sarawakians want to be on equal standing with their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia in as far as economic development is concerned. That was the hope and aspiration of the founding leaders when they signed the Malaysia Agreement in 1963. It is also the hope of all Sarawakians yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Johari said, undeniably, Sarawak is behind Semenanjung in infrastructure development. Hence, the people are grateful that the Prime Minister is aware of their aspiration.
For example, the Prime Minister acknowledges Sarawakians should have at least one system of roads that is of highway standard after 54 years as part of Malaysia. Hence, the Pan Borneo Highway, now in various stages of development and scheduled for completion in 2022, is very much a welcomed project.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Johari said Sarawak understands that the Federal Government may not have sufficient funds to repair or rebuild poor rural schools, which is estimated to cost about RM1 billion over and above the sum allocated in the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Hence, the State is prepared to assist the Federal Government through its Development Bank as the problem must be rectified as soon as possible to address the perception that Sarawak is not being given due attention by the Federal Government as education is under the purview of the federal government. Sarawak has more than 1,000 dilapidated rural schools, be they primary or secondary schools.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Johari appreciates that both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Dato Seri Dr. Haji Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have agreed to the arrangement so that the run-down rural schools can be physically improved without undue delay.
He believes that Malaysia can be a stronger nation if there is equal economic footing on both sides of the South China Sea. Discontent will only breed discord and disunity among Malaysians.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Johari in welcoming the Yang di Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Hajah Ragad Kurdi Taib said the people of Sarawak feel truly proud to have a head of State, who is willing and ready to join them in a celebration of great significant to them
His Excellency, in his long years of public life, has be able to witness all the celebrations being carried out in the State and country since 1963. It has been Malaysia’s journey as a sovereign and independent nation.
Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Johari also thanked the people, who crowded the Merdeka Square for making their time to join this celebration of 16 september , 2017, which is an important date to the country, to the people of Sarawak and Sabah in particular.
Sarawak, as an autonomous state according to Malaysia Agreement, did not join Malaysia but a party to its formation; there was no Malaysia to join before the signing of the Agreement. Sarawak was an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia and should enjoy certain autonomy as spelt out in Malaysia Agreement.
Sarawak began to have an elected government or albeit internal self-government on July 22, 1963. The actual day was marked with swearing of Members the first post – Independent State Cabinet.
The members were Stephen Kalong Ningkan, James Wong Kim Min, Teo Kui Seng, Pengiran Hipni Awang Anu, Abdul Taib bin Mahmud, Dunstan Endawie Enchana and three ex- officio – Shaw, Pike and Hayward. That was the first Sarawak Cabinet.
Members of the Cabinet in their first meeting agreed that Sarawak should be a party to the formation of Malaysia and that Malaysia should come into being on August 31, 1963.
Of course, Sarawak must insist that it was a party to the formation of Malaysia by virtue of Malaysia Agreement signed in Lancaster House in London by Harold MacMillan for England, Tunku Abdul Rahman for Malaya, Lee Kwan Yew for Singapore, Donald Stephen/Mustapha Harun for North Borneo and Abang Openg Abang Sapiee, Ling Beng Siew, Jugah anak Barieng and Datu Bandar Abang Haji Mustapha for Sarawak. The people of Sarawak decided on that.
The promises made by the third Rajah in September 1941 were that that the Brookes’ family held Sarawak in trust for the people. By then they would redeem that trust and handed back the governance of the country to the people. That was one of the cardinal principles of 1941.
Of course, they did not fulfil the promise as a few months later the Japanese invaded Sarawak and became the masters. After the Japanese destroyed the country, Sarawak became backward, poor and a miserable. And the Brookes family thought, much to the opposition of the local people, it was better for Sarawak to become a British colony.
Eventually, when the people could prove that they could take care of themselves, the State would enact a Constitution being enforced by the people themselves; they were no longer ruled from the Whitehall in London.
Generally, the Natives, comprising various ethnic and sub-ethnic groups supported the MALAYSIA proposal and co-operated fully with the Cobbold Commission, which had been tasked to ascertain their wishes towards it.
Of course, elements of the underground Communists’ movement, who had infiltrated a political party with different ambition, opposed it. They opposed the formation of Malaysia as they believed it would thwart their ambition to form a communist government. When Malaysia finally came into being they went underground.
The State Government, being led by Dato Haji Abdul Rahman Ya’akub ( Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, a former Governor), the third Chief Minister of Sarawak, had to wage a war against them in order to restore peace and stability in the State.
The Malaysia Agreement was an international agreement signed by the United Kingdom, the then Government of Federation of Malaya and governments of North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore. The Malaysia agreement, as an international agreement, is being kept by the United Nations.
The agreement cannot be changed even by the Constitution of Malaysia. The precedence showed that when Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia wanted to change the date of the formation of Malaysia, all parties must agree. There was one instance when all the parties must agree to the change from August 31 to September 16,1963.
The Malaysia Agreement accords Sarawak and Sabah a greater degree of executive, legislative and financial autonomy in comparison with the other states in Peninsular Malaysia. The other documents, which support Sarawak’s status, are the Report of Cobbold Commission, Malaysia Agreement, Malaysia Act and the Inter- Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.
The Malaysia Agreement clearly states that the formation of Malaysia, according to The Cobbold Commission “is the coming together of equals”. Sarawak did not emerge from British Colonial Rule to become a colony of Malaya. Sarawak was a self-governing country, which agreed to be a partner in the formation of a Malaysia.
The Malaysia agreement was signed on behalf of Sarawak by Ling Beng Siew, Datu Bandar Abang Haji Mustapha, Temenggong Jugah anak Barieng and Abang Haji Openg Abg Sapiee. The late Donald Stephen and Tun Mustafa Harun signed for Sabah.
The late YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and the late Tun Tan Siew Sin signed for the Federation of Malaya and Mr McMillan signed for Great Britain and Lee Kwan Yew and Mr Goh Keng Swee signed for Singapore.
The Malaysia Agreement contains the terms for Sarawak and Sabah to join the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia. The agreement stipulates the safeguards for the special interests of Sarawak and Sabah “so that the two States do not become like one of the states in the Federation of Malaya”.
The Malaysia Act was passed to amend various Articles of the Federal Constitution and the Immigration Act was passed to entrench the rights of the Borneo states to control entry and residence into these States.
Therefore, the terms and safeguards for Sarawak to join Malaysia are clearly spelt out in:-
(1) The Malaysia Agreement;
(2) The Federal Constitution, which contains and entrenches the rights and safeguards
for Sarawak, passed by Parliament before Malaysia Day;
(3) The Malaysia Act, 1963; and
(4) The recommendations in the Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC Report)
which were annexed to the Malaysia Agreement.
The Governments of the Federation of Malaya and Sarawak and Sabah agreed to take
whatever legislative, administrative and executive actions to fully implement those recommendations to safeguard the special interests of Sarawak and Sabah, which have not already been incorporated into the Federal Constitution after Malaysia Day.
