‘Don’t compromise on Sabah’s history’

(FMT) – SIPITANG: Sabahans have been urged not to compromise on the representation and the teaching of history, especially in regards to facts concerning Sabah.

According to opposition Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) the ‘creative’ representation of history had denied people their ‘rightful’ place.

“Understanding history is never a futile exercise or a waste of time. Those who deny their history, deny their future and who are we to deny our children from their own future…,” said SAPP deputy Amde Sidik

“Over-stretching creative history has denied others of their place in history and took their sensitivities for granted.

“And this can lead to discrimination and disenfranchisement of the identity, tradition, and culture and undermine the system of values in the segments of societies.

“As the result, instead of forging unity, it has created cleavages amongst the people,” he told a Hari Raya gathering here recently,” he said.

Sabahans were not told

Amde was responding to recent headlines in Sabah in relation to the formation of Malaysia.

According to him, the decision to make 1957 as the starting point of Malaysia anniversary was never agreed upon by past leaders.

“If such a decision was made, then the people of Sabah must be duly informed and such decision should be made a public record.

“The controversy over the Malaysia anniversary reflects the cause of divergence between the Borneo states and Malaya.

“Is Malaysia 48 years old or 54 years old?” he questioned.

He said Malaysia did not exist in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya achieved its independence from the British.

“The government-controlled mass media blatantly claim that Malaysia is 54-years-old but to the people from the Borneo states Malaysia is only 48-years-old.

“It shows Malaya is insensitive towards the feelings of the people in the Borneo states.