Over 20,000 expected at Malaysia Day do

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KUCHING: More than 20,000 people are expected to converge on the Miri City Fan for the Malaysia Day celebration on September 16.

Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan

Minister in charge of the celebration, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan who chaired the last committee meeting held at a leading hotel in Miri on Tuesday night, said the 51st Malaysia Day celebration would start as early as 7pm.

He said the evening’s event will kick start with performances by the Information Department’s choir from Putrajaya, famous artistes from Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak and Sabah and performers from the Ministry of Social Development.

A press statement from the Information Department yesterday said this year, once again Miri city has been chosen to host the day which marks the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia.

Singapore later withdrew from the formation on August 9, 1965 and became a republic.

Malaysia Day is a historical event and the struggle to form Malaysia is an appropriate move as it brings about benefits and value to the people and now Malaysia is a sovereign, progressive, stable and strong nation, well known in the world stage.

Former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was the figure and the statesman who mooted the idea of the formation of Malaysia when delivering his speech at the East Asian Foreign Journalists Conference at Adelphi Hotel in Singapore on May 27, 1961.

Following that event, Tunku Abdul Rahman went to Sarawak and Sabah in June 1961 and Brunei July 1961 to explain the concept and objectives of the formation.

Among the objectives of the formation of Malaysia were to halt the spread of communist ideology, to balance the population, to enhance the economy and development of Sabah and Sarawak, to speed the independence of Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah and to realise racial unity and regional integration.

However, not all was plain sailing for Tunku Abdul Rahman’s struggle to realise this concept as there were resistances from the peoples in the four regions such as from PAS in Semenanjung Malaysia, United People’s Party (PAP) in Singapore and the peoples of Sabah and Sarawak not until the people really understood the good motive, and the Cobbold Commission was established on Jan 17, 1962

Brunei, which had agreed to the formation later withdrew its intention due to resistance from her people.

Eventually, on June 21 1962, the commission’s report was handed over to the British Government after more than 80 per cent of the people agreed to the formation.

Sarawak was represented by P.E.H. Pike, Tun Jugah Barieng, Datuk Abang Haji Mustapha, Ling Beng Siew and Datuk Abang Haji Openg.

On Aug 26 1963, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consented to the Malaysian Act which was earlier on consented by Queen Elizabeth II and approved by the British Parliament.

Actually, the proposed date for the formation was August 31, but was delayed due to certain circumstances and the declaration was finally made on September 16, 1963 at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur and thus the nation Malaysia was formed.

Since 2010, Malaysia Day has been a public holiday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the decision after a question-and-answer session at the Malaysian Parliament on Oct 19, 2009.

Hence, Malaysia has two celebrations related to Malaysia’s independence.