KOTA KINABALU: The early Hakka migrants and their descendants’ contribution towards the development of Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok should be acknowledged, said Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’d Department Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah.
He said the Hakka migrants had travelled far from China to North Borneo to settle in Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok, where they and their descendants were tasked with helping to develop North Borneo.
The contributions of the Hakkas were significant and clearly recorded in history and should be acknowledged and recognized, he said on Saturday at the centenary commemoration of the arrival of Hakkas to Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok and their founding of these towns.
Yong said the sheer number of Hakka settlers in North Borneo also strengthened the Chinese community in the early days of Sabah.
Nonetheless, he said, other Chinese clans had also worked hard and overcome many challenges in developing Inanam, Menggatal and Telipok.
Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Hakka Association president Datuk Jimmy Yong Kyok Ming said the Hakkas made up the majority of the Chinese population in the State.
He pointed out that the Chinese constituted around 14 per cent of the population in Sabah, and Hakka made up around 70 per cent of the 400,000 Chinese in the State.
Jimmy urged the Hakkas and the other Chinese groups to be united, and to maintain good relationship with the Bumiputeras in building a harmonious and prosperous country.
He said most Hakkas were farmers under the British colonial rule but have since evolved and achieved outstanding performances in various industries since the formation of Malaysia.
Kota Kinabalu Hakka Association, initially known as North Borneo West Coast Hakka Association, was established in 1940 with the aim of assisting and supporting Hakkas who fled the war in China.
The association ceased to function in 1942 during the Japanese invasion of North Borneo and resumed its activities in 1947.
In 1956, the association set up an office at Gaya Street and after a several amendments were made to its name, it settled on Kota Kinabalu Hakka Association, as what it is known today.