What Aug 31 means to Sabah
Malaysia was formed on Sept 16, 1963, but Sabah became self-governing weeks earlier.
When I said the Borneo people were not ready for referendum, I meant it. A referendum would not be understood in Borneo and would not represent the views of the Borneo people. But an election would. Tunku Abdul Rahman
“NEVER knew Sabah has an Independence Day,” says a 40-something friend from Peninsular Malaysia in a WhatsApp message to me.
On Wednesday, she had read on The Star Online that a coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), led by the Borneo Heritage Foundation, will be organising a gathering in Stadium Penampang near Kota Kinabalu to commemorate Sabah’s 55 years of independence. The date of Sabah’s independence is Aug 31, the same day as Malaya’s Merdeka.
According to foundation president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, on Aug 8, 1963, the North Borneo Legislative Council declared that Sabah would be independent on Aug 31, 1963, regardless whether the formation of the Federation of Malaysia happened or not.
“On Aug 31, 1963, Sabah was granted self-government with Tun Fuad Stephens as Chief Minister and head of government. As such, Tun Fuad was in charge,” the Keningau MP and Tambunan assemblyman said.
“Since the North Borneo Legislative Council had already unanimously decided on Aug 8 that Sabah will be independent on Aug 31, irrespective of whether Malaysia becomes a reality on that date, it means that Sabah was a nation on Aug 31.”
The British governor, Dr Jeffrey added, declared: “Today is a historic day as it spells out the end of colonialism and the beginning of independence...”
To get an understanding of the end of North Borneo (as Sabah was called before Aug 31, 1963), I WhatsApp-ed Datuk Prof Dr Danny Wong Tze Ken, my classmate in SMK La Salle in Tanjung Aru, Sabah. Wong is a professor of history at Universiti Malaya.
“Why was there a delay? On Aug 31, 1963, the British left North Borneo, and Malaysia was only formed on Sept 16?” I asked him.
“The delay was caused by the Indonesian protest, which resulted in the calling for a United Nations mission to ascertain the people’s choice. The original date for the formation of Malaysia was Aug 31, 1963,” he said.
“What was Sabah’s status? Was it a country?” I asked.
“As for the status, we were granted self-government status, which was in a way ‘ independent’ of British rule,” Wong said.
“But one must remember that we have also signed the Malaysia Agreement, which bound us to be part of the new Federation of Malaysia on the agreed date – in this case, the new date of Sept 16, 1963.”
“What was Sabah in terms of an entity between Aug 31 and Sept 16?” I asked.
“That’s the most tricky part of the discussion as it (the period) was not meant to be but for the decision to postpone the date to Sept 16,” he said.
“It should be like Singapore between 1959 and 1963, where it was granted self-government status.”
I then asked the historian a tough question as it invokes emotional reactions from many Sabahans. “Was Sabah a country in that 16 days or so?” I asked.
“I should think so. But subjected to British protection and heading for the formation of Malaysia,” said the Sabahan.
To get an understanding of what was really happening in Borneo and Malaya in 1963, I read The Formation of the Federation of Malaysia, a compilation by Ho Ah Chon of reports in Sarawak By The Week, issued by the Sarawak Information Service.
The formation of the Federation of Malaysia – Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore – was planned for Aug 31, 1963. But, our neighbours, Indonesia and Philippines (due to its Sabah claim), protested.
Sarawak By The Week reported that Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman gave in to Indonesian demands at the Manila Conference (July 1963) for the sake of peace.
Speaking on a resolution seeking the Malayan Parliament’s formal consent to the formation of Malaysia, Tunku said the reason he agreed in Manila to postpone the date of the foundation of Malaysia was “not to pander to the tantrums, wishes and wiles of others, who under the guise of champions of democracy are bent on hindering and embarrassing the smooth coming into being of Malaysia, but in our sincere desire to work for peace.”
“Our neighbours had insisted that North Borneo and Sarawak hold a referendum on whether its people agreed to be part of Malaysia.
“When I said the Borneo people were not ready for referendum, I meant it. A referendum would not be understood in Borneo and would not represent the views of the Borneo people. But an election would,” Tunku said.
“We held elections there and the Opposition parties had the right and did take it, to explain to the people their opposition to Malaysia. The main issue in those elections was Malaysia. The result of those elections was convincing proof that in Sarawak, 73% of the people agreed with Malaysia and in Sabah, 90%.”
On charges that he had agreed to the UN Secretary-General U Thant’s investigation purely to save his face, Tunku retorted: “If I had wanted to save my face, I would never have agreed to any postponement or delay of Malaysia.”
“It was to save the face of my other friends and partners in Maphilindo (Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia) that we all agreed to defer the date of Malaysia. There was no need for me to save my face,” he said.
In early September 1963, the Malayan Government, with the concurrence of the governments of Britain, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak, decided that Malaysia shall come into being on Sept 16.
In 15 days’ time, we will be celebrating the birth of Malaysia.