A senior minister in Sarawak has joined the call to accord greater recognition to July 22, 1963, the day the state got its independence from its former colonial masters, the Borneo Post reported.
State minister of Land Development Tan Sri James Masing said the state should officially recognise July 22, instead of August 31, which was the date the Federation of Malaya received its in independence in 1957.
He added that Sarawakians should know the significance of the July 22 independence day for their homeland two months before the formation of Malaysia on September 16 of the same year.
“July 22 should have been honoured long ago but somehow the date was overshadowed by August 31, which has nothing to do with us.
“The date of Sarawak’s independence must be put in the correct perspective for the younger generations to understand. For historical purposes, let the young people know. We have to get the facts right,” Masing was quoted as saying by Borneo Post.
He also supports the Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) call on chief minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem to declare July 22 as Hari Sarawak.
“July 22 should have been honoured long ago but somehow the date was overshadowed by August 31, which has nothing to do with us.
“The date of Sarawak’s independence must be put in the correct perspective for the younger generations to understand. For historical purposes, let the young people know. We have to get the facts right,” Masing said, according to the Borneo Post.
He added that his hope is for all Sarawakians to be proud of the fact that Sarawak was already an independent nation prior to the formation of Malaysia as an equal partner with Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and the Federation of Malaya.
On the issue of declaring July 22 a public holiday in the state, Masing believes it is not as important as the whole state recognising the date as Sarawak’s day of independence.
“Let us settle this at another time. Maybe later on, as this is not an urgent matter at the moment. After all, when the state officially recognised Malaysia Day on September 16, there had never been a public holiday.
"More importantly, I am very pleased that the state government has been honouring July 22 for the last two years,” he was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post. – July 23, 2015.
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