CM: Remember those who contributed to Malaysia’s formation
PUTATAN: It is important to remember the people who contributed to the formation of Malaysia, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal.
He said it is also important to inculcate and instill values among the young people to remember those who have contributed to the formation of the country and also those who have contributed to the country's development.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the grave of the late Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, who was Sabah's first Head of State and third Chief Minister, Shafie said the late Tun Mustapha and the late Tun Fuad Stephens had both done a lot of contributions to the formation of the country.
“It is not good enough for us to only have a function at Dataran Merdeka without respecting and recognising these figures. These people have contributed a lot to the formation of Malaysia,” he said.
Shafie also said the recognition should also be given to others who had contributed, irrespective of their political standing or religious beliefs.
The Chief Minister also stressed that the formation of Malaysia is very crucial and it is important for the people to not merely remember the date (16 September) and the year but also to ensure that what has been embedded in the agreement during the formation and the people who took all the effort to realise the endeavor.
“They took all the effort. They have gone to the UK. They have gone to all the villages in Sabah, asking the people of Sabah and Sarawakians. That sort of inclusiveness among them to realise Malaysia,” he said.
“So it is important for us not to take lightly the country which does not only belong to Semenanjung, to Sabah or to Sarawak but to all Malaysians. This must be recognised,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring all that is embedded in the formation must be realised because those who have contributed have taken all the trouble and efforts and this must be respected and realised.
As for those coming for the Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16, Shafie said the event is for everyone, irrespective of political belief.
He expressed hope that the protocol would invite everyone, including members from the opposition parties. But whether they would come or not, Shafie said they would not be forced to.
The Chief Minister also visited the grave of the state's first and fifth Chief Minister Tun Mohd Fuad Stephens at the Sabah State Mausoleum at the Sabah State Mosque yesterday morning.
The Kadazandusun community's first Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader from Kudat played a fundamental role in bringing Sabah into the formation of Malaysia in 1963. During his second term as Chief Minister, the English-Kadazan leader tragically died in a controversial accident on June 6, 1976, just a few months before his 56th birthday on September 14.
Among the state cabinet members at the ceremony were Deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau and Datuk Jaujan Sambakong, Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony, Law and Native Affairs minister Datuk Aidi Moktar and assistant minister Jannie Lasimbang, Sabah State Secretary Datuk Hashim Paijan and Tun Fuad's youngest child, Fauziah.