The Peninsula-centric Merdeka celebrations are now over. While Peninsular Malaysians are proud of their Merdeka, East Malaysians rue the independence that has escaped them.
Every year the debate rages on, the missed opportunity of being independent from the clutches of Malaya.
Why is it that 59 years after the formation of Malaysia, people of Sabah and Sarawak are still talking about independence? It seems that the matter is always swept under the carpet until the next Merdeka where the wounds are reopened and the same debate occurs.
Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day are not the same, it’s like night and day.
Yet politicians, academics, and the federal government still cannot get their facts right.
Political analyst James Chin in his Facebook posting lamented: “Amazing. After more than a decade of reminding Malayans that the federation of Malaysia was established in 1963, it’s simply not working.
“When you Goggle Merdeka 2022, you get “65”. It’s a fact that 2022-1963=59. That is why many in Sabah and Sarawak think Malaya is the new coloniser. Can’t rewrite history!”
Chin’s frustrations are felt deeply in the Borneo states.
While Peninsular Malaysians celebrated Merdeka, people of Sabah and Sarawak quietly celebrated their day of self-government, thinking about how history would be different if Sabah and Sarawak were truly independent states like Singapore.
Since Merdeka, Malaysia 1963 cannot shake off the toxic politics of race and religion, and now rampant corruption that has hampered our growth as a nation.
The Federation of Malaya does not exist today, and the only signatures of the signatories of Great Britain, Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak remain as founding members of the federation.
Singapore left in frustration in 1965 after being fed up with the Malay-centric politics of Peninsular Malaysia, leaving Sabah and Sarawak in no-man’s land and to fend for itself.
Malaysia Day was declared a public holiday only on Oct 19, 2009, by then prime minister Najib Razak, with token regard and respect for the new nation of Malaysia.
Every year, Malaysia Day official celebrations are a muted affair, alternating between Sabah and Sarawak with the prime minister in attendance. This year there is no news that the PM will attend.
Malaysia Day has always been a secondary celebration with Jalur Gemilang, state flags and paraphernalia left over from Merdeka Day as backdrop.
The birth of Malaysia should be put in a proper historical perspective. Malaysia was formed through a multilateral agreement between Great Britain, Malaya, North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore. The new nation Malaysia was nearly stillborn.
Indonesia led the confrontation against Malaysia and did sporadic cross-border raids into Malaysian territory. The Philippines was opposed to the formation and until today lays claim to Sabah. The Sultan of Sulu is now instituting claims on Malaysian assets overseas based on a disputed arbitration award in their favour.
According to the Cobbold Commission Report, about one-third of the population of each territory (North Borneo and Sarawak) strongly favours early realisation of Malaysia without too much concern about terms and conditions.
Another third, many of them favourable to the Malaysia project, asked, with varying degrees of emphasis, for conditions and safeguards varying in nature and extent which later became the 20 points for Sabah and the 18 points for Sarawak.
The remaining third is divided between those who insist on independence before Malaysia is considered and those who would strongly prefer to see British rule continue for some years to come.
How experts can come to the conclusion that the Borneo states were unanimous about forming Malaysia is puzzling. It’s incorrect and even misleading – and the spin has continued all these years.
In the Malayan states, it was not plain sailing either.
Kelantan instituted a legal suit against the Federal government over its constitutional rights. On Sept 10 , six days before Malaysia was to be declared, the government of Kelantan began an action against the federation government for declarations that the Malaysia Agreement and the Malaysia Act were null and void or were not binding on the state.
The judgement gave varying opinions on the Malaysia Agreement and perhaps to a lesser extent defined the relationship between the state and the federation government.
The federal-state relationship is continuously evolving for the Borneo states who have been reinstated in the Federal Constitution as original partners of the Malaysia Agreement after being considered as merely being among the thirteen states of the federation.
Sabah and Sarawak have regained some of their status as partners but the bone of contention is still about revenue-sharing and the exploitation of Sabah and Sarawak oil and gas resources. The states are left only 5% in cash payments, while the federal government gets billions in dividends from Petronas, not including corporate and other taxes.
The “Keluarga Malaysia” concept has no traction in East Malaysia. Many people living in Sabah and Sarawak do not feel part of the family.
They feel that Petronas and the federal government have robbed them of their oil resources and that is why they remain the poorest states in Malaysia since 1963. Until substantial development has taken place, that perception will continue to persist.
Malaysia is still a young country, 59 years old. We all need to grow up and learn how to respect history and each other. The geopolitical struggles over the formation of Malaysia were as great as the Merdeka fight against the former colonial powers.
The internal resentments must be respected and addressed if we are to move forward as a nation. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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