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1st August, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: It is such a shame that many Malaysians today do not even know when and how Malaysia was born.
A master’s degree student writing a thesis who is not aware how Malaysia came into being on Sept 16, 1963, a university professor who is equally ignorant of the date, a student who thought Sabah joined Malaysia instead of forming it as an equal partner.
Such ignorance is not uncommon among the citizens today, according to former SUHAKAM vice president Tan Sri Simon Sipaun.
“It is said that history is subject to interpretation. I have also been told that history repeats itself. However, there are also occasions when history is the distortion of facts by people in power,” said Sipaun who is also a former Sabah State secretary.
Sharing his personal recollection at the Formation of Malaysia Forum here yesterday, where he attended as a moderator as well as speaker, Sipaun said while some were simply misinformed, there were others who knew very well that Malaysia was born in 1963 and not 1957 but still insisted the opposite.
“I have been noticing slogans like ‘celebrating 53 years of nationhood’. The question that comes to mind is which nation is being referred to. If it refers to Malaysia then obviously it is not factual because in 2010 Malaysia is only 47 years old. If you refer to Malaya then it will be correct.
However, Malaya ceased to be an independent separate nation when it joined with Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah to form a new federation known as Malaysia on 16 Sept 1963.
Fifty three cannot be equal to 47 unless we have forgotten how to count. I do not understand why we cannot be honest about something which is impossible to deny,” he said.
Sipaun shared that a friend who was former senior diplomat once insisted that Malaysia came into being on 31 August 1957, citing the case of the US to support his contention.
He pointed out that many states in the US joined the federation on different dates but the US as a federation was established on the earliest original date.
However, Sipaun argued that this is not a right comparison in many ways. Giving an example, he said the US never changed its name as the other states joined in and became part of the federation while in the case of Malaysia, the parties involved jointly formed a new federation as equal partners.
“It will be interesting to know how teachers respond to the simple question from students concerning the age of Malaysia in 2010. Will they tell the students 53 or 47 years?” he pondered.
Sipaun, who was 25 when Malaysia was formed, stressed it is important to remind the younger generation of the original intention of the founding fathers of Malaysia when they formed the country the way the older generation remember it.
“If not for some individuals who persisted in drawing the attention of the government to the actual date that Malaysia came into existence, more and more people, especially they younger ones, would believe that Malaysia is 53 years old in 2010 instead of 47,” he said.
Sipaun, in presenting his paper highlighted several suggestions, the final one being Sept 16 should be observed and celebrated every year as “Malaysia Day”.
The federal government under the leadership of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has conceded that 16 Sept should be declared as national holiday beginning this year but the pronouncement, said Sipaun, was 46 years too late.
“But then it is better late than never,” he said, concluding a 20-page paperwork, which also contains suggestions towards achieving a genuine unity and national integration in the country.
He said the process of unifying and integrating Malaysia, where its people are highly diversified and divisive factors are plenty, should be based on justice, equal rights and respects.
The Multi-racial Malaysian, he said, should focus on their similarities rather than their differences in building up genuine national unity and integration. Existing factors that are not conducive to creation of national unity should be eliminated.
“For example, school uniforms should be the same for every student. MyKad should be the same for every Malaysian. There should be only one box for all citizens indicated in government forms and not like at the present where there is one for Malays, one for Chinese, one for Indians and for others.
“These are a few examples of things which are not conducive to the creation of a genuine united country. Let us concentrate on our commonality and humanity,” he said.
Sipaun was among five speakers who presented their paper works at the forum, along side senior politicians Datuk Karim Ghani and Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan, as well as Datuk Amar James Wong and S Vanugopal.
To reduce, if not to eliminate polarization, Siapun also suggested the composition of the civil service and government agencies be made more reflective of the multiracial make-up of the Malaysian society.
No Malaysian or community should feel deprived or marginalized with everyone receiving equal and fair treatment, and selective prosecution or application of law does not arise, he added.
All laws which empower the government to arrest without trial should also be repealed, in accordance to Article 10 of the UDHR that provides everyone the right to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial legal body and Article 11 which provides that everyone should be treated as innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.
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