Malaysia Day: Let the truth prevail

FMT Staff

Former Sabah state secretary
Simon Sipaun believes that that
the ‘cock-and-bull’ history
spouted by peninsular historians
is destroying national unity.

The charged debate over the re-
interpretation of Malaysia’s
history to reflect the
peninsula’s dominance over
the Sabah and Sarawak
continues to ruffle the
sensitivities of many who
believe the two states are being
given short shrift and robbed of
their dignity.

Democracy Sabah or Desah, a
Sabah-based NGO, said today
that “people deserve to be told
the truth” of how the facts
have been distorted to dilute
the role of the two former
British colonies in the formation
of Malaysia.

Influential former Sabah state
secretary Simon Sipaun, who
heads the NGO, said even federal
statutes and the Federal
Constitution seemed to reflect
this though it was well-known
that what is stated is not
historical truth.

“Desah is perplexed that under
Article 160 of the Federal
Constitution, ‘Merdeka Day’
refers to Aug 31, 1957 and the
Federation of Malaysia means
the Federation of Malaya
Agreement, 1957,” said Sipaun
days ahead of 49th anniversary
of the formation of Malaysia on
Sept 16, 1963.

“Desah’s understanding of
historical facts is that Malaya
gained independence from
Britain on Aug 31, 1957, six
years before the formation of
Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.
“North Borneo [as Sabah was
then known] gained
independence from the British
on Aug 31, 1963 and Sarawak
on July 22, 1963.

“Historical facts indicate that
Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak
gained independence on three
separate and different dates
respectively. How can it be
possible for all of them to be
celebrating their 55th year of
independence on Aug 31, 2012?

“It will be more truthful to say
that Malaysia is celebrating
Malaya’s 55th year of
independence on Aug 31,
2012,” Sipaun said.

The former state secretary, who
also served as a commissioner
on Malaysia Human Rights
Commission (Suhakam) for
several years after he retired,
said such distortion of history
was only causing alienation.

“In the process of creating and
promoting genuine national
unity and integration, the
government should give
prominence and priority to the
formation of Malaysia on Sept
16, 1963.

“Sadly it took the government
46 years just to acknowledge
and accept it as Malaysia Day,”
he said, adding that it was
“better late than never”.

Foolish parallels

Sipaun was speaking after
Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department VK
Liew, seeking to defuse the
controversy that has raged in
Sabah for years, was quoted as
saying that the Malaysian
government recognised Sept 16
as Malaysia Day and had made it
a national public holiday.

However, Lieu also drew
comparison between the US and
Malaysia when he pointed out
that the US declared
independence on July 4, 1776
and the other states joined on
different dates, yet the US
celebrates Independence Day on
July 4 every year.

Sipaun said drawing such
parallels was foolish because
the minister was “not
comparing apples with
apples”.

“On July 4, 1776 it was the US
and on July 4, 2012, some 236
years later, it is still the US. The
US never became another
country.

“In the case of Malaysia,
Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah
never joined Malaya. Together
they formed a new country
altogether called Malaysia on
Sept 16, 1963.

“Desah strongly believes that
genuine national unity cannot
be achieved through the
distortion of historical facts by
people in power. It will only
produce the opposite effect.

“Let the truth prevail,” he
said.

Desah has gradually evolved
from a civil society group
formed recently to promote
transparency in the state’s
murky political world riddled
with factionalism which, by and
large, is believed to have eroded
democracy and reduced
voters’ rights.

It has also gone on a high-
profile campaign to ensure
straight fights between Barisan
Nasional and the opposition in
the impending 13th general
election.