KUCHING: State Reform Party (STAR) Stampin candidate Lina Soo wants July 22 to be declared as Sarawak Independence Day and a public holiday in place of Aug 31.
Soo explained that Sarawak gained its independence from the British on July 22, 1963 and not Aug 31, which is when Malaya gained independence in 1957.
In a press statement yesterday, Soo said Sarawakians have been celebrating Malaya’s independence day every year on Aug 31 and ignoring our own history.
“Neither did Malaysia give us independence as we were an independent and sovereign nation before we formed the Federation of Malaysia with Singapore, Sabah and Malaya on Sept 16, 1963,” said Soo.
She pointed out that July 22 saw Sarawak having its first Chief Minister — the late Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan.
“We also had our Sarawak Constitution 1941, our Sarawak flag, our Sarawak anthem ‘Fair Land Sarawak’, and our own stamps,” said Soo.
She added that Sarawak cannot continue to be subservient to Malaya by celebrating Malaya’s independence day and hiding Sarawak’s own history.
“Fifty years and not 55 years is the number of years of our independence. It is now time to put history right by telling the whole truth to the people of Sarawak,” she stressed
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