Malaysia Has No "Hari Merdeka." Deal With It

by Terence A Anthony

Originally published for Greater Malaysia, August 2015, Updated May 2016

Note: It's Malaysia Day again, so I thought this would be a great time to re-post this old opinion piece of mine.

THE FACES BEHIND OUR FORMATION | SOURCE: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF MALAYSIA (MINISTRY OF TOURISM)

The main confusion that people normally have is that Malaysia became independent on the 31^st of August 1957. Hence, that is why on television or in school, the age of the country is calculated from that date, making 2015 the supposedly 58^th year.

The reality is deeper than that. Malaysia didn’t even exist in 1957. However, Malaya existed as an entity when Tunku Abdul Rahman hailed Merdeka three times in front of stadium audience. 31^st of August was supposed to be Malaya’s Independence Day and their independence day alone.

Malaysia as an entity only existed after 16^th of September 1963. Sarawak obtained independence from the British after a short post-WW2 colonial rule on the 22^nd of July 1963. Sabah on the other hand shared the same dates as Malaya but was only truly independent on the 31^st of August 1963. Singapore managed to obtain full self-governance in 1959.

In the Malaysian Agreement 1963, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore formed a new entity as equal partners. Brunei was slated to join in but refused after the realization that the Sultanate has to give up certain powers to the state. The new entity is called the Federation of Malaysia.

Malaysia was never conquered or ruled by any forces, nor was it given independence by a former colonial power. To say that they have been conquered before seems to ignore the unique position in history that the federation was formed by through the independent minds of the region.

It was as if we are denying our own ancestor’s ability to come to their conclusions, what was better for the region. The reality is that Malaysia is only 52 years old.

When taking the whole picture, while respecting the rights of both Sabahans and Sarawakians, Malaysia does not have an independence day, but merely a National Day.

Why is it offensive to Sabahans & Sarawakians?

DONALD STEPHENS @ FUAD STEPHENS, FIRST CHIEF MINISTER OF SABAH & HUGUAN SIOU , PARAMOUNT LEADER OF THE KADAZANDUSUN (LEFT) & STEPHEN KALONG NINGKAN, CHIEF MINISTER OF SARAWAK (RIGHT) | SOURCE: UVBS

The problem with using the 31^st of August as the date for independence is ignoring the complex history of both regions. It is already bad enough that after Singapore was kicked out of the Federation, the East Malaysian states were not treated as equal partners to Malaya, as expected.

Celebrating the 31^st as the country’s independence date just adds salt to the wounds. The message sent through that is that they are now supposed to be kow tow to them, not autonomous bodies.

Using the 31^st as the priority creates the presumption that the states joined Malaysia, rather than forming Malaysia. It creates this false perception that the only reason why East Malaysia is free from the crown is because of their association with Malaya.

This conveniently ignores the years of the anti-Cession movement in Sarawak aka the movement to not make Sarawak a colony. Nationalists were jailed in Singapore for rising against the British. Anthony Brooke, the man who was supposed to be the next Rajah of Sarawak and was barred from entering Sarawak by the British when he entertained the idea of giving governance to the natives.

Rosli Dhobi’s action of assassinating Sir Duncan Stewart, the then governor of Sarawak has been watered down by not acknowledging the dates when Sabah & Sarawak were independent. In other words, all the actions of the nationalists, striving to have self-governance become 2^nd fiddle, not as important as the freedom fighters of Malaya.

Counting independence from 1957 also means that you are celebrating a period where half the country is still being ruled by a foreign entity. It is a celebration of a dark period where the citizens of a country were not allowed access to the democratic means and self-governance. In effect, you are celebrating a period of colonialism under the crown.

Didn’t Malaya Get Its Independence First? So Why Malaysia’s Age Can’t Be counted from 1957?

SOURCE: SARAWAK STORIES

Some people normally argue that Malaya became independent first; hence the country deserves to be counted from that date. People normally compare that the United States still celebrates the 4^th of July, despite having Alaska and Hawaii being part of the country at a later date. So what’s the problem?

The problem with this argument is that Hawaii and Alaska joined a nation that was already formed. Both Alaska and Hawaii didn’t form a new country as autonomous partners. They became part of a bigger a pre-existing Federation.

States have to be admitted into the union. For a new state to enter, all the state legislatures have to give consent for their admission. An example would be Texas, which was a republic until it was admitted into the union. The pre-existing states could reject their admission if they wanted to.

The formation of Malaysia is closer to the American Declaration of Independence on the 4^th of July 1776 with the original 13 states. All of them were equal partners to a new federal system. The 16^th of July of 1963 is our 4^th of July as we form a new country.

So What Date Should We Observe Then?

SOURCE: SAYANGSABAH

Simple; the 16^th of September 1963. It was the date when Malaysia existed as a country for the first time. It is understandable that Tunku Abdul Rahman’s speech has that iconic look to it and has long been associated with independence. The reality is that his shout for Merdeka was not for Malaysia, but for Malaya.

The true image that should be embedded in the heads of Malaysians as a form unity would the signing of the Malaysian Agreement of 1963. It may not be as romantic as the shouts of Merdeka and one of the partners are no longer with us, but it is the only true moment when Malaysia existed as an entity.

Focussing on the 16^th of September is more than just an exercise in political correctness. It is a reminder that the Sabah and Sarawak are equal partners in the federation.

The confusion of dates is the emblematic of a bigger problem. The East Malaysian states may demand a return of other rights such as autonomy to education, greater control of resources or even the Borneanisation of the Civil Service. However all of that can only happen, when everyone agrees that the 16^th of September is more important on the national level than the 31^st of August.