Malaya and Sabah have same Independence Day – Pairin

0

TENOM: Malaysians should understand the history of the country to ensure they are not confused about Independence Day and Malaysia Day, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan said.

According to him, many people are still confused over the numbers 47 and 53, especially after they were politicized by some parties.

“When we talk about Independence Day, it actually refers to the Malaya Independence Day which falls on 31 August 1957. We must understand that Sabah gained her independence on the same date in 1963,” he said.

“We know that there are many people who remember the Malaya Independence Day but not many people know how Sabah gained our independence from British, and after 16 days merged with Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia on September 16 1963,” he added when officiating at the annual general meeting of PBS Melalap division here on Saturday.

Pairin, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said this year marked the 47th Sabah Independence Day and the 53rd Malaya Independence Day.

He stressed that knowing the facts about the country will make Malaysians better citizens.

Also present at the meeting were Kemabong assemblyman Datuk Rubin Balang, Tenom Member of Parliament  Datuk Raimie Unggie, Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly  Datuk Johnny Mositun and PBS secretary general Datuk Henrynus Amin.