Sept 16, 1963 was the day the Federation of Malaysia was born, after Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya (Singapore, too, but it went on its own on Aug 9, 1965). Malaya gained its Independence from the British on Aug 31, 1957.
An so, it will always be a bone of contention. Is Malaysia 44 or 50 years old? [read this Borneo Post article here].
I say Sept 16 should be celebrated just as grandly as Aug 31. Sept 16 is our National Day (as that's when we became the nation that we are today) and Aug 31 our Independence Day (and that's when we should Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka).
Happy National Day, Malaysia!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Malaysia - 44 or 50?
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Say you sept 16 shd be celebrated as grandly? I agree not. I'm tired of state-sponsored rah-rahs. Think of the $$$ spent.
ReplyDeleteBlaseMan
Before September 16th 1963, there was no Malaysia. Only Malaya existed.
ReplyDeleteSo let's make 16/9 National Day once and for all for everybody.
Seriously, folks. We can't be 'liberating' ourselves every year on 31/8, a remnant of the colonial era. Let our history be the one created by ourselves and not one granted by an occupier.
But of course, AAB would have preferred to have his '50th' bash but history will judge him differently only if we do something about it. If AAB desperately wants to be part of history, we should do our best to bestow on him an appropriate 'footnote'.
It is Malaysia Day to day
ReplyDeleteThere is no holiday
There is no fanfare
Sad really when Malaysia was born
On this day on 16 Sept 1963
Talking about national integration
Of Sabah, Sarawak with the Peninsula
On this day why so silence?
It isnt an important day, is it?
The national agenda
it will be hard to bridge
Look at the leaders
divide and rule
Though the country has peace and wealth
Harmony amongst the races freedom of religions
There is a subtle manipulation to serve certain groups
For the majority aren't in the loop
Today is Malaysia Day
A nation of many races and religions
Walking and bringing glory
Every day in our lives and interactions
Happy Malaysia Day
Let us remember in our minds
Our struggles haven't finished
It has to carry on
As the nation progresses
It is a sad story for both Sabah and Sarawak for joining Malaysia. Just look at Brunei and Singapore to see the answer. Sabah and Sarawak is being raped by Malaya till dry, all the oil and timber from the two state is being used to finance all the failed project and also to feed all the UMNO zealots. Ask the Iban and Kandazan, they are being marginalized. Now the government even want to make the country into an Islamic state, did Sabah and Sarawak agree to join an Islamic state in the first place? Sept 16 is a day for mournig, a day of shame for Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteSomeone in the AAB government will suggest to celebrate both.
ReplyDeleteThis means more money to make(waste).
Anyway we can keep on celebrating but the racial issue not solve what is the point????
At the rate we're going, we better get back to 1 and start all over again, wiser and smarter.
ReplyDeleteOr, perhaps,we should accelerate to 90, then surrender.
Whether we're 44 or 50..the question pales in comparison with Syed Hamid Albar's performance on BBC's "Hard Talk" last Thursday.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to watch it, follow this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/progs/07/hardtalk/albar13sep.ram
It would be common sense if the current govt under ABB declare next year's Sept 16 a National holiday in celebration of Malaysia Day and help integrate better relationship with SArawak and Sabah. We should continue to celebrate Merdeka Day as usual but Malaysia Day would be something more. It's worth the money spent for unity sake.
ReplyDeleteKeranamu.
For your infor brother, PBS took out full page advertisements in Sabah newspapers today wishing everybody a Happy 44th Malaysia Day. I will be writing about it in my Blog later. If you care to read, the address is http://sikmading.blogspot.com. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMathematically, Sept 16 should be celebrated. It is only fair to Sabah and Sarawak that we celebrating 'Malaysia Day' instead of Merdeka Day.
ReplyDeleteThe sense of 'belonging' is there for Sept 16, not Aug 31.
It is not whether we celebrate on Aug 31 or Sept 16. We should only celebrate National Day.
ReplyDeleteCelebrating independence is a fallacy and an insult to our forefathers. The US celebrate independence because they were originally British and became independent of their British 'parents.'
We, on the other hand, were never Portugese, Dutch, British or Japanese. So what were we trying to be independent of? We were originally of an independent state, the Malacca Empire.
The truth is that Tunku ang gang seeked to liberate us from the British occupation.
Happy National Day Malaysia and Happy (belated) Liberation Day Malacca!
Sdr Rocky's Bru,
ReplyDeleteDoes it really matter?
Do the people in power understand history?
Or do they have common decency to recognise it?
The Tunku was the father of both Malaya and Malaysia.
But where was he placed in the official Merdeka posters?
And whose picture was biggest?
History and decebcy are dead Bru.
Long live history and decency.
Thank you.
But alas... the 100+ million was spent on 31st, August...
ReplyDeleteMaybe Sg could help celebrate it by test-launching those spanking new HIMARs! lolx <---- Joke, pls read between the lines, if you're a Cybertrooper.
Rocky!
ReplyDeleteStop splitting hairs, I am bored with your rhetoric and semantic! Just be a good citizen and stop stirring beeswax! Whats a couple of year difference eh! Stop it! stop it!
what diffirence does it made but in the mind of those who wnat to be different! look beyond these two dates and for the benefit that the formation of malaysia brings. And Rocky stop being so childish ...
ReplyDeleteCome on Rocky, please find some other better topic la. This stupid 1957-or-1963 thingy crops up every year around Aug/Sept.
ReplyDeleteTo regular wankers like shar101, it matters not what we are called before '63 - Malayans, Malaysians, Mayans, Persekutuan Tanah Melayuns(!), etc.
I, together with millions of other fellow rakyats, celebrate Aug 31 as Merdeka Day. If you want to celebrate it on Sept 16, go ahead. I'd love to see you wave your little Jalur Gemilang in Dataran Merdeka, together with other wankers (I hope Rocky isn't one of them). It's a relatively-free country we have. By the way, were you there today, shar101?
If the Sarawakians and Sabahans want to celebrate on Sept 16, let them be la. I can understand why. And that won't make them any less Malaysians than us here in West Malaysia.
And to those wankers who think we "insult" our forefathers simply because we celebrate Aug 31 as our Merdeka Day, keep on wanking.
Let it go. No harm done. Stop it once and for all, idiots.
Aiyah its 31st August 1957 lah. So its 50 years. Why ?
ReplyDelete13 states became independent from the Brits in 1776 to form the United States of Satan Land. The other 37 joined much later (Alaska and Hawaii in 1959) but they ALL celebrate 200 over years of Independence on 4th July. Nobody complains or split hairs.
But ooops. We must not follow the land of the Great Satan. So just celebrate 44 years lah, on 16th September every year, Malaysia Day.
Why 16th September and not 31st August 1963? Well, Sukarno made it so then. And today in 2007, his successor Yudhoyono still screws us up by by boycotting our 50th celebrations but our leadership still kowtows and panders to them.
We can only bully the little red dot and question why they buy all those "terrible" high-tech weapons that give our bloggers and journalists sleepless nights.
Oh, by the way, did the little red dot then receive its independence on 31st January 1957, 16th September 1963 or 9th August 1965?
ReplyDeleteIt has celebrate Merdeka on all three dates during and after joining the Federation!!
To solve the problem, just follow India. They have Republic Day and Independence Day, both holidays with celebrations.
ReplyDeleteSo lets have Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day, have two public holidays with fireworks lah.
I hardly know about Sabah & Sarawak, Kadazan & Iban. We always talk about polarization of Malay, Chinese & Indian. What about pribumi of Sabah & Sarawak? No wonder Ibu Iban is so angry with Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteThe whole world knows about racial bias policies of Malaysia and Umno keep on denying the facts, how can? Just look at video of hard talk, that fellow keep on brushing aside problems.
anon: "13 states became independent from the Brits in 1776 to form the United States of Satan Land. The other 37 joined much later (Alaska and Hawaii in 1959) but they ALL celebrate 200 over years of Independence on 4th July. Nobody complains or split hairs."
ReplyDelete________________
You cannot compare with US. Alaska, Hawaii etc did not form a new nation. They simply joined the United States. However, our case is different. Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore formed a new nation with Malaya - called Malaysia. What happened was the East Malaysians were politically naive and are therfore paying the price today. I am West Malaysian by the way but I feel sympathy for the East Malaysians and the way they've been treated.
Malaysia supposed to be formed on 31 Aug 1963. If I am not mistaken, some idiots complained to the UN or something that Sabah and Sarawak joining Malaya were not endorsed by majority of the people.
ReplyDeleteSo a survey was conducted and the results actually shown that the majority of Sabah and Sarawak people wanted to join with the Federation of Malaya.
So was the delay and after these UN people were convinced, the instruments of cessation as British colonies and joined the Federation of Malaysia commenced on 16 September 1963, along with Singapore.
Therefore, the national Day is still celebrated at 31 Aug annually because it was the intended date (if not for the two weeks delay due to some idiots who were cheeky to go to the UN or some body!)
dear west malaysian,
ReplyDeleteyour statement is an insult to sabah/sarawak of pre-malaysia leaders like donald stephan(fuad stephans), tun datu mustapha, temenggong jugah just to anme a few ..who works very hard to convince their fellow sabahans and sarawkians about the benefits of joining malaysia. King Ghaz (tun Ghazali Shafie) plays an important role during this formative years of malaysia together with the understanding blessing of the Tunku and Tun razak. As for Singapore, Lee Kuan Yee never wanted sincerely to stay in malaysia forever and the only reason that he agreed to join Malaysia is because that is the only way that singapore can gained its independent from the British. Once in, LKY made all sorts of trouble creating tensions and problems to Tunku knowing fully well that Tunku will have to kick him out. LKY is nothing but a manipulative politician. According to Said Zahari when LKY cried on the day that Singapore when was kicked out of Malaysia, they are only crocodile tears...which then became the joke amongst the opposition in Singapore then. As for Brunei, they did joined Malaysia then because the Sultan had second thought about giving full citizenship to non-Malays.
bigdogdotcom:
ReplyDeleteMalaysia supposed to be formed on 31 Aug 1963. If I am not mistaken, some idiots complained to the UN or something that Sabah and Sarawak joining Malaya were not endorsed by majority of the people.
---------------------------------
Of course Sabahan was against it but lee Kwan yue promised Tun Fuad Stephen that sabahan student will get placing in University Malaya! We were alreadi given our own independence by The Crown on 31st August 1963.
my mother raised this question during the merdeka day.
ReplyDeletemy logic is. If you incorporated a company and 6 years later you change the name of the company and appoint another 2 new directors to be added in to a group of existing directors. if people ask, "when was the company incorporated?", i'm pretty sure you would quote the day of incorporation, not the day you change the name and not the day you add in the new directors.
:) ~ CTzen
I proud to be a Malaysian from Sabah. Sept 16th is Malaysia Day and is an annual Public Holiday in Sabah. And being a Sunday, Monday 17th is still a holiday for us in this Land Below The Wind.
ReplyDeleteIt make sense that suggestion to make Sept 16th a National Public Holiday.
I agree with "Keranamu" that the current GOVT make next year Sept 16 a national holiday as MALAYSIA DAY and lets continue celebrating Merdeka Day ON Aug 31. Maybe there should be a public REFERENDUM ON THIS. So Rocky how about starting one on your blog and see how by 1 Jan 2008 how many in favour. Then let Govt do something about it before Sept 16,2008.Cheers. Osman.
ReplyDeletemalaysia is 44 years old. There is no question about it.
ReplyDeletewe seem to be very concern with form as against function typical of a dying person who requests to be dressed in a robe of a certain color.
ReplyDeletewhen malaysians really respect each other then we should really celebrate not yesterday tomorrow or today but everyday. That is called honesty & sincerity
Hmmm...Anon (10.46pm) must be sore with an earlier posting I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt would be typical of him/her to remain anonymous when the message ain't much more than sweeping the matter under the carpet.
What was it again? "Semua OK" and everybody gets to choose their own Merdeka and National day.
Decisions or Indecisions? Go figure it out, Anon (10.46pm) while I go wank elsewhere.
"...You cannot compare with US. Alaska, Hawaii etc did not form a new nation. They simply joined the United States. However, our case is different. Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore formed a new nation with Malaya..."
ReplyDeleteReally? Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in fact JOINED Malaya, an independent country. All three were duped as they thought they were EACH joining as an EQUAL entity to Malaya but it has subsequently been clarified (and is a reality today) that they are merely just another state like the other 11 states of Malaya.
So was a new country formed on 16th September 1963? UMNO and Malaya do not think so. Everyone of them still refers to independence on 31st August 1957. Late comers must follow suit.
The country's land area merely enlarged by the addition of the 3 (now 2) new states in 1963 just like how Hawaii and Alaska enlarged US of Satan's land area in 1959.
The only change was renaming Malaya to Malaysia and adding two more points and two stripes to the national flag. Just like the US adding two new stars to their flag in 1959 but they all celebrate 4th of July.
So same, same. Late comers must just follow, lah. Independence 31st August 1957, no two ways about it.
Sabahans and Sarawakians just frus la.
And the bloke who delayed independence for the three new entrants to 16th September 1963 was none other than Sukarno of Indonesia who then started his "Konfrantasi" (Confrontation) and sent his troops into the Borneo states, bombed buildings in Singapore and "invaded" Malaya by air and sea.
Actually it is historically and factually wrong to say "survey was conducted and majority of Sabah/Sarawak people want to form Malaysia".
ReplyDeleteA sampling survey (learn statistics, and you will understand what I mean) was done, the sample was 3,000 people out of a possible one million people in Sarawak alone, and from this sample, majority of this sample said they want to form Malaysia.
It was not a referendum, it was not put to a popular vote.
It was a fraudulent way to annex a state.
I am a Sarawakian, my wife is a Malayan.
"Actually it is historically and factually wrong to say "survey was conducted and majority of Sabah/Sarawak people want to form Malaysia".
ReplyDeleteA sampling survey (learn statistics, and you will understand what I mean) was done, the sample was 3,000 people out of a possible one million people in Sarawak alone, and from this sample, majority of this sample said they want to form Malaysia.
It was not a referendum, it was not put to a popular vote.
It was a fraudulent way to annex a state.
I am a Sarawakian, my wife is a Malayan."
It was a manipulated referendum, so there's no referendum that took place.
Malaysia should return Sabah(North Borneo) to the Philippines!