Masing fielding questions from the media.
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing believes that ‘Sarawak Day’ is the most appropriate term for July 22.
He said this is because history shows that July 22 was the day Sarawak had its very first elected government.
“Sarawak Day is the most appropriate term to mark the day when Sarawak achieved self-rule. It is the day we had an elected government,” Masing told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Masing, who is also Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister, pointed out that though Sir Alexander Waddel might still be the governor representing the British Queen at that time, the fact was that Sarawak had achieved self-governing status.
He cited Australia as an example, which despite being independent, still had a Queen representative until today.
“Let us take Australia as an example. Today Australia is a self-governing nation; independent in all sense of the word, yet it has a Queen representative in the form of a Governor-General residing in Australia. So was Sarawak from July 22 to Sept 15 of 1963 and she was in no doubt a self-ruled nation,” elaborated Masing.
Masing was responding to recent rhetoric on whether July 22 should be addressed as Independence Day or Sarawak Day or whether it should be celebrated at all.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem had announced on Apr 23 that July 22 is Sarawak Day and declared it a public holiday to mark the establishment of self-government in Sarawak on July 22, 1963.