Liew: Always remember past leaders that united us as a nation

KOTA KINABALU: People in this country especially the younger generations must always remember the contributions and the roles played by past leaders that brought together the people from Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula to form Malaysia.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the state’s two former chief ministers namely Tun Fuad Stephens and Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun are among the many past leaders that must be remembered.

“They were the leaders at that time who helped to form Malaysia. They represented Sabah which was known as North Borneo at that time. Without them working, negotiating and forming with the people of Sarawak and Malaya, we would not have the Malaysia that we cherish today.

“So these two are the most important leaders that we cannot forget, we must always remember their efforts on behalf of Sabah to form Malaysia.

“We are part of Malaysia because of their efforts and contributions,” she said when met by Bernama and Radio Televisyen Malaysia recently.

Liew said the younger generation especially in Sabah nowadays should truly understand the history behind the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.

“This is important... there must be a detailed chapter in our history books to let our younger generations know how we become a country,” she said.

Meanwhile, Liew, who is also the state-level Malaysia Day organising committee chairman, said the state-level Malaysia Day celebration will be held at Padang Merdeka here on Sept 16, and 10,000 people are expected to come to commemorate the event.