Over 20,000 expected at Malaysia Day do
More than 20,000 people are expected to converge on the Miri City Fan for the Malaysia Day celebration on September 16.
Minister in charge of the celebration, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan who chaired the last committee meeting held at a leading hotel in Miri on Tuesday night, said the 51st Malaysia Day celebration would start as early as 7pm.
He said the evening’s event will kick start with performances by the Information Department’s choir from Putrajaya, famous artistes from Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak and Sabah and performers from the Ministry of Social Development.
A pres s s tatement f rom the Information Department yesterday said this year, once again Miri city has been chosen to host the day which marks the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia.
Singapore later withdrew from the formation on August 9, 1965 and became a republic.
Malaysia Day is a historical event and the struggle to form Malaysia is an appropriate move as it brings about benefits and value to the people and now Malaysia is a sovereign, progressive, stable and strong nation, well known in the world stage.
Former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was the figure and the statesman who mooted the idea of the formation of Malaysia when delivering his speech at the East Asian Foreign Journalists Conference at Adelphi Hotel in Singapore on May 27, 1961.
He said this would be the third year in a row his constituency celebrate Malaysia Day in a big scale.
“For this year, we are going to celebrate Malaysia Day in a big scale for three consecutive days from Sept 15-17 at Long Sukang. We are expecting a big crowd there,” he disclosed, adding that the inaugural celebration was held in Long Semadoh, followed by Ba Kelalan last year.
Social activist Dato Peter Minos said he could still remember vividly the proclamation of Malaysia at the Central Padang as he was already a teenager then.
“I was in Form Three then, and I was among the thousands who heard and witnessed the formal proclamation of Malaysia at the Central Padang ( now Padang Merdeka), so keep Sept 16 for Malaysia Day. As for Aug 31, Sarawak shared no part in that date. But it’s alright if we have both dates each year, Independence Day and Malaysia Day, to recognise historical facts,” he said.
Minos disagreed with Ahmad Shabery that Malaysia should use the United States ( US) as an example, as it was already a country with the initial formation by 14 states on July 4, 1776. The rest of the 36 states then joined later on different dates with Hawaii the last to join on Aug 21, 1959.
Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly Datuk Roland Sagah also concurred, saying that Malaysia as a country should just celebrate Malaysia Day on Sept 16.
“Aug 31 is just for Malaya and Sabah. But it’s okay if they still want to celebrate it. But Malaysia Day, which falls in Sept 16, is for all Malaysians, and that’s very important because we have only one country,” stressed the Tarat assemblyman.
Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah emphasised that it was important to put forward actual and accurate historical facts.
“History contained a series of significant events that led to the formation of Malaysia. These facts must be made known publicly so that we know and can learn from our past,” she said.
“More importantly, we have to teach our children, the young generation and future generation actual history so that they can clearly understand the differences between Malaya’s independence on Aug 31 and Malaysia Day on Sept 16,” she added.
Chinese community leader Temenggong Lu Kim Yong, who is also the Federation Chinese Association president, agreed that it was important to recognise Sept 16 as the day Malaysia was formed.
“It should be made known so as not to confuse the people especially the younger generation ,” he explained.
On the Federal Government’s proposal to change the National Day and called it Independence Day Aug 31, Lu felt that recognising both dates (Aug 31 as National Day and Sept 16 as Malaysia Day) were equally important.
“I personally think that we could continue with all the celebrations. As fellow Malaysian, we need to respect and compromise with each other as well as take care of each other’s sensitivity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Management of Kuching Chung Hua Primary Schools No. 1- 6 Committee chairman Dr Chou Chii Ming echoed Temenggong Lu’s view.
“Both dates are important in the history of Malaysia. It is a historical fact that Sept 16 is the day Malaysia was formed together with Sarawak and Sabah while Aug 31 is the date Malaya and Sabah gained independence,” he stressed.
“This is especially important for the younger generation to clearly understand these historical facts,” he said.