It’s a bad penny

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C_PC0007816I TURNED on my computer on Aug 31 and saw a cheery posting on social media with the Jalur Gemilang flying proudly in the background: “Good morning my beautiful country, happy 52 years of independence.”

At first I was going to let it go but when a few more of my friends started to post similar greetings, I felt I must again re-visit this subject. What concerned me was that not just obviously myopic West Malaysians were subscribing to this view – that National/Merdeka Day falls on Aug 31 – but perfectly sensible friends had also started to join in the chorus. It got me really jittery.

Am I being unnecessarily fussy or would you agree something is not quite right about this greeting. Well, the greeting is great but the timing sucks. Okay, let’s get technical here. Aug 31 was the day that Malaya achieved its independence and it was 58 years ago in 1957. This year, Malaysia should be celebrating its 52nd birthday, but that is on Sept 16.

For Sarawak and Sabah, ‘Merdeka’ Day does not fall on Aug 31. How many times must we remind them of this? I have written a few times on the same topic and so have a few other commentators. We are beginning to sound like broken records, but this misconception is like a bad penny that refuses to go away. I am beginning to think that this is a bad penny that is being thrown by people with bad intentions.

You know what they say about lies? If you repeat them often enough they will eventually be accepted as truth. So I am not going to accept this misconception. I am going to continue to plug this topic until the record as to the birth of our nation is set straight and cast in stone and acted out in action.

Let me repeat again (sic), yes, “repeat again”, the key dates:

Aug 31, 1957 – the day when the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj shouted “Merdeka” seven times at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur as the Union Jack was lowered and the flag of the independent Malaya was raised in its place. It was indeed a historic day for Malaya.

May 27, 1961 – The idea of Malaysia was first broached by Tunku Abdul Rahman at the International Press Club Luncheon, Singapore when he said, “Malaya today as a nation realises that she cannot stand alone and in isolation. Sooner or later she should have an understanding with the British and the peoples of the territories of Singapore, North Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak. It is premature for me to say how this closer understanding can be brought about but it is inevitable that we should look ahead to this objective and think of a plan whereby these territories can be brought closer together in political and economic cooperation …”

July 22, 1963 – the day when Sarawak was officially granted self-government. However, it was not until 2003, 40 years after, that this important date in the history of Sarawak was acknowledged. Well, it is better late than never.

Aug 31, 1963 – the original date proposed for the formation of the new nation Malaysia. It was envisaged that the new National Day would dovetail neatly with the Independence Day of Malaya. However, Indonesia and the Philippines (both nations wanted to stake their claims on Sarawak and North Borneo) raised a protest at the United Nations. As a result, the United Nations named a nine-member mission to ascertain the wishes of the peoples of North Borneo and Sarawak. The UN team started work on Aug 16, 1963 and did not complete its report until two weeks into September, thus, missing the deadline.

Sept 16, 1963 – A new nation, a federation comprising Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore was formally declared. Singapore was to leave the federation two years later in 1965.

Why make such a big fuss? Why not just merged the two important occasions into one and celebrate them together on Aug 31 as National Day you might ask.

Well, that date may be of great significance to our compatriots in the peninsula (and we congratulate them for that) but really it is not of relevance to Sarawak and Sabah. If we are looking for convenience, why not just celebrate on the actual date that our nation was born – Sept 16.

It is not just about a matter of historical accuracy. It is about the recognition of the basic premise of Malaysia, that it is a nation formed by equal partners, not

just an expansion of Malaya through the incorporation of the Borneo territories. So, in 10 days’ time, let us greet each other with “Good morning my beautiful country, happy 52 years of independence.”