‘Onus on MoE to have a factuallyaccurate history book on Malaysia’

MIRI: The Ministry of Education (MoE) needs to come up with a more factually-accurate history book on the formation of Malaysia, and also to make it compulsory to teach this history in all secondary schools nationwide.

In making this call, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin regards this as a way to enable all Malaysians, especially younger generation, understand, appreciate and respect the real facts about the formation of Malaysia, as well as the rights and certain autonomies that Sarawak and Sabah, as partners of the federation, are entitled to.

“This will help prevent unnecessary questions and misunderstanding among our leaders and also the people with regard to the three entities (of Malaysia – namely the peninsula, Sarawak and Sabah).

“We need to go to the ground and let the people know the historical facts – we should correct the misconception that Sarawak joined Malaysia,” he spoke during the ‘Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Rally’ at Miri Civic Centre on Friday night.

According to him, it is a fact that Sarawak, North Borneo (what Sabah was known as then), Singapore and Malaya formed a new nation called Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963 – under Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Prior to that date, there was no country called Malaysia, Lee stressed, adding that with the withdrawal of Singapore in 1965, the federation now consists of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah.

On this, he stressed: “We are not one of the Malaysian states – we’re one of the three entities, or partners, of Malaysia. We should, therefore, be treated as equal partners,” said Lee.