Many people are arguing that Malaysia achieved its independence 48 years ago and not 54. The argument is that 48 years ago, Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak agreed to form a new country called Malaysia. These people say that 54 is not correct noting that it only indicates the independence for Malaya and not the whole of Malaysia. So, which one? Well, there are two issues that we need to tackle here to prevent distortion to history and to avoid further confusion to the matter.
First, the issue of independence for Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah and Sarawak were still under the colonial rule when Malaya achieved its independence on 31 August 1957. So technically, Sabah and Sarawak were not yet independent. Remember that Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak were different entities ruled by the British. Sabah became a British protectorate in 1888 and a colony in 1946. The British granted Sabah independence on 31 August 1963. Note that when Sabah achieved its independence on 31 August 1963, it was not yet part of Malaysia. We could say that Sabah was an independent country much like Malaya after 31 August 1957. Sarawak has a different history altogether. It fell into the rule of James Brooke who went on to establish the “White Rajah Dynasty” which ruled Sarawak for more than 100 years. James’ successor, Charles Vyner, however, surrended Sarawak to the British on 1 July 1946 and Sarawak became a Crown Colony. Unlike Sabah, Sarawak achieved its independence much earlier on 22 July 1963.
Second, the issue of when Sabah and Sarawak achieved their independence. The independence of Sabah and Sarawak must be seen within the context of the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. A United Nations (UN) report through its Secretary-General concluded that:
“Taking into account the framework within which the Mission's task had been performed, he had come to the conclusion that the majority of the peoples of Sabah (North Borneo) and of Sarawak had given serious and thoughtful consideration to their future and to the implications for them of participation in a Federation of Malaysia. He believed that the majority of them had concluded that they wished to bring their dependent status to an end and to realize their independence through freely chosen association with other peoples in their region with whom they felt ties of ethnic association, heritage, language, religion, culture, economic relationship, and ideals and objectives. Not all of those considerations were present in equal weight in all minds, but it was his conclusion that the majority of the peoples of the two territories wished to engage, with the peoples of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore, in an enlarged Federation of Malaysia through which they could strive together to realize the fulfillment of their destiny”
So, the three different entities Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak achieved their independence separately. Malaysia was not born in 1957 nor achieved its independence in the same year. Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak combined to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The Malaysia Act 1963 states that:
“For the purpose of enabling North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore (in this Act referred to as "the new States") to federate with the existing States of the Federation of Malaya (in this Act referred to as "the Federation"), the Federation thereafter being called Malaysia, on the day on which the new States are federated as aforesaid (in this Act referred to as "the appointed day") Her Majesty's sovereignty and jurisdiction in respect of the new States shall be relinquished so as to vest in the manner agreed between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federation and the new States”
It it clear that Malaysia became a NEW and INDEPENDENT nation on “the appointed day”, that is, on 16 September 1963, when the new country called Malaysia was declared. Even though it should have been declared earlier on 31 August 1963 to coincide with the Malayan Independence, it was postponed to 16 September due to the opposition from Indonesia and the Philippines to the formation of Malaysia. The fact that the British through Her Majesty agreed to relinquish Her “sovereignty” and “jurisdiction” over Malaysia revealed another strong point about Malaysia’s independence on the day it was born. So, the historical documents are sufficient to clear our confusions about the country’s age. The conclusion that we can derive, therefore, is:
1. Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak were different entities which achieved their independence separately. Even though Malaya (now generally known as Peninsular Malaysia or “Semenanjung Malaysia”), Sabah and Sarawak are still DIFFERENT as far as their political and cultural backgrounds are concerned, they all belong to the same country called Malaysia.
2. Malaysia was born out of the willingness of the people of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to federate and subsequently to form Malaysia. The people of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak must be willing to integrate and embrace their religious and racial differences in the spirit of the formation of Malaysia.
3. Malaysia, as a NEW and INDEPENDENT country, was therefore born on 16 September 1963 and this makes Malaysia 48 and not 54 years of age.
4. If the government is to unite the country and its people, it should appreciate and give more value to 16 September 1963 as it was the year Malaysia was born. Politicians—especially from Sabah—must stop harping on the issue of independence day for Malaysia but looking for concrete solutions to unite Malaysians of all races and religions.
5. While the significance of 31 August 1957 cannot be ignored, national leaders must also give emphasis to 16 September 1963. To appreciate the country’s history and to unite Malaysians of all races and religions, the government must decide to celebrate the country’s independence within the context of the formation of Malaysia in 1963. The decision of the Najib Administration to make 16 September every year a national holiday is a step in the right direction. While the decision is seen as “cosmetic” by some, the challenge for the government is to put into place policies which could draw people from the Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak to work together to develop the country.
