‘Sept 16 deserves more prominence’

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KUCHING: State opposition lawmakers disagree with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s take that Malaysia Day on Sept 16 is as significant as Merdeka Day on Aug 31.

State DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said people must understand that a national day should mark the date when a country was formed.

In the case of Malaysia, he said Aug 31, 1957, was the day the Federation of Malaya gained independence.

He said Malaysia only existed on Sept 16, 1963, when the Federation of Malaya together with Sarawak, North Borneo (now Sabah) and Singapore came together.

“If a national day is to celebrate the day a country is established, Sept 16, 1963, is the day when Malaysia was formed,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman, said he felt it was wrong for Najib to put the significance of Sept 16 and Aug 31 on the same pedestal.

“Until this day, there are still people, including Najib himself, saying that Sarawak and Sabah joined Malaysia, and not formed Malaysia.

“This is a wrong fact, and it goes to show that Sarawak and Sabah are never treated as equal partners as Peninsular Malaysia.”

Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said it was sad to see some quarters maintaining the wrong historical fact.

Wong, who is also state DAP deputy publicity chief, pointed out that Sept 16 ought to mean more to Malaysians given that it marked the day Malaysia was born.

“There is no way you can mix up Aug 31 with Sept 31 as both dates mark a very different occasion.

“Sept 16 deserves more prominence than the independence day of the Federation of Malaya.”

It was reported in The Borneo Post’s sister paper See Hua Daily News that Najib had said Aug 31 did not out weight Sept 16 or vice versa at the national-level Malaysia Day celebration.

Last Sunday marked the third year the Barisan Nasional government recognised Sept 16 as Malaysia Day.

Since the announcement of an extra public holiday for Malaysians, it has been decided that the Malaysia Day be held in Sarawak and Sabah on an annual rotational basis.