Flags that flew over Sarawak

Brooke’s personal standard, the Flag of St George, was first flown over his fort at Belidah in Upper Sarawak when he was first proclaimed the rajah of Sarawak. It was at a time when Sarawak only comprised the territory from Tanjung Datu to the Sadong River from Sept 24 1841 to Sept 20 1848.

During the early years of his rule, his Malay and Dayak followers also carried the flag when they went to war.

Later , Brooke would design his own flag which consisted of a half blue and half red cross on a yellow background, although historians today would argue that the blue was purple.

By the time he flew this flag, Sarawak had spread from Tanjung Datu up to Oya River in the Sarikei Division. It was used from Sept 21, 1848 to May 6, 1870.

The flag we are more familiar with from the Brooke era was raised between May 7, 1970 to Dec 23, 1941. Made up of a half black and half red cross on a yellow background, it was adopted by the second White Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Brooke.

Although there are no official records to explain the reason behind the colour change, there is a romantic account of his receiving presents wrapped in the cloths of three colours from three of the major ethnic groups in Sarawak (Malay,yellow, Chinese,red and Iban, black).

As a leader who was genuinely fond of his people. it was said that he changed the colours of the flag to suit the favourite colours of the local Sarawakian community.

The Japanese flag of the rising sun replaced Charles’ flag from Dec, 24 1941 to Sept, 10 1945, a period of over three and a half years, until they surrendered to Australian forces.

When the Australian forces fully liberated Sarawak on Sept 11, 1945, the Australian flag was hoisted in Sarawak to replace that of the Rising Sun. It later replaced by the Sarawak flag when civil government was restored on April 15 1946.

When Sarawak was ceded to the British Crown Colony, the Union Jack was hoisted together with the Sarawak flag in order to symbolise that Sarawak was a British colony from July 1 1946 to Sept 16 1963.

When it became a British crown colony, Sarawak’s flag was restored to it, but with one minor addition: a crown in the middle of its half black and half red cross.

The crown was meant to symbolise that it was part of the British crown colony, the fi ve points representing the fi ve divisions of Sarawak. It was used up until Aug 31, 1973.

The Trisakti flag that flapped in the Sarawakian skies from Aug 31, 1973 to Aug 30 1988 was a huge divergence from its predecessor.

Designed by the state government under then chief minister Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub, the blue triangle was meant to represent the united people of Sarawak in pursuit of national aspirations. The Red half represented courage and determination while the white signifi ed honesty and purity.

On the state’s 10th Merdeka Day celebration, Rahman hoisted it himself at midnight on Aug, 31 1973.

Which brings us to our current state flag. It was hoisted on Aug, 31 1988 at Kuching’s newly completed Indoor Stadium at Petra Jaya, Kuching on the occasion of Sarawak’s 25th Merdeka Day celebration.

The colours are a throwback to its predecessor in the Brooke era with some minor differences: the nine pointed yellow star in the middle and red and black diagonal stripes which Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud described as a shield, symbolising the people’s desire to protect their ideologies, aspirations and their homeland Sarawak.

In much the same way as Charles Brooke fi rst received the three colours from the community leaders, then Governor, the late Tun Datuk Patinggi Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Muhammed Noor received the three new state colours from Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin, Temenggong Datuk Montegerai and Datuk Chia Chia Shun in a special ceremony on Aug 28, 1988.