KOTA KINABALU – Malaysia will continue to falter if they fail to recognise Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
In his speech in conjunction with Sabah Day, the Keningau MP pointed to a “lost piece of history” about how Sabah and Sarawak attained independence from the British before Malaysia was formed.
“There’s a piece of history in the formation of Malaysia that was lost. First of all, the founding fathers of Malaysia from Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei had written to the United Nations (UN) to demand independence as a requirement to form Malaysia.
“This is clear in the letter to the UN dated September 9, 1962 signed by Sabah, Sarawak, and Brunei.
“The late Tun Mustapha Datu Harun and Tun Fuad Stephens, the founding fathers of Malaysia from Sabah, stressed this aspiration,” he said in his Sabah Day message today.
Sabah Day is not officially observed by the state government, unlike Sarawak, which celebrates Sarawak Day or Sarawak Independence Day on July 22.
Just like Peninsular Malaysia’s Merdeka Day, today also marks the day Sabah attained self-governance from the British crown.
Kitingan, who is also Sabah’s agriculture and fisheries minister, recalled that the North Borneo Legal Council officially resolved to declare Sabah’s independence on August 31, 1963, regardless of whether Malaysia would materialise or not.
When North Borneo governor Sir William Goode declared the state’s liberation, he also noted August 31 as a historical day for Sabah in attaining self-governance and independence from British rule.
“The recognition of Sabah’s independence is in the proclamation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963, in which Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore are recognised as a nation. The status of these three states is also recognised in the original federal constitution,” he said.
Kitingansaid the signing of the Malaysia Agreement on July 9, 1963 between the Malaysian parties was done before the nation’s formation was completed, as both Sabah and Sarawak were still under British rule at the time.
“History must be corrected to complete the process of Malaysia’s formation via the signing of the agreement and the proclamation of Malaysia, and via the process of Sabah and Sarawak first attaining independence,” he said.
Kitingan said Sarawak has already recognised July 22 as Sarawak’s Independence Day, observing it annually as a state public holiday.
He said Malaysia will continue to falter if the federal government does not recognise these events, and that the time is right for Sabah and Sarawak to be given equal standing to Malaya.
“It’s been 58 years since Malaysia was established. Sabahans no longer want to be treated like we are still being colonised, where our wealth is being taken by others, including job opportunities and political rights.
“For over half a century, state rights like our 40% revenue, 10% import duty of petroleum products and many more have remained unfulfilled by Putrajaya,” said Kitingan, adding that the gazettement of August 31 as Sabah Day must be done to complete the story of Malaysia. – The Vibes, August 31, 2021
