KOTA KINABALU – Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president Japiril Suhaimin, also the organising chairman for Sabah Day 2021, said he hopes August 31 will be gazetted as Sabah Day next year.
He said many have observed August 31 as National Day – Malaya’s Independence Day since 1957 – but it has obliterated the fact that Sabah was once a self-governed country on August 31, 1963.
“I hope that August 31 will be gazetted as Sabah Day and an official public holiday in the state. It is important to uphold historical facts for future generations.
“The state’s last British governor Sir William Goode had declared on August 28, 1963 that North Borneo will be known as Sabah, wherein the state will be self-governing and independent on August 31, 1963, known as Sabah Day,” he said in a statement today.
Japiril added that Sarawak has already gazetted Sarawak Day as its independence day, celebrating it every July 22 since 2016.
Although Sabah Day has not been made official, the state has been celebrating the occasion since 2015.
The first celebration was organised by Gabungan Sabah in Kundasang, and Japiril was also the organising chairman.
Speaking about the event this year, Japiril said that the celebration will be conducted virtually this coming Tuesday due to standard operating procedure restrictions.
The event, jointly organised by Sabah Star and SAPP, will be conducted via Zoom and Facebook Live, and will have guest speakers like Datuk Mohamad Noor Mansor, Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan and Datuk Yong Teck Lee.
“To date, we have been receiving positive responses from people all over Sabah who are interested in participating in the event,” he said. – The Vibes, August 29, 2021.
