So, is it 53rd or 59th and is it 31st Aug or 16th Sep?

Sabahans and Sarawakians are very emotional to the point of being irrational and argue without considering the implications of what they say. They feel Sabah and Sarawak should leave Malaysia. Leave then, but that would only mean you will go back to your original owners who are dying to take you back.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

It is amazing how much time and effort Malaysians are prepared to waste to argue and quarrel about whether we should be celebrating Malaysia’s 59th or 53rd Anniversary and whether it should be celebrated on the 31st of August or the 16th of September.

Some even say we should correct the distortion, lies and misinformation regarding the ‘true’ history of Merdeka and that for more than half a century Malaysians have not been told the truth. I suppose what they mean is the old history books must be burned and new history books written to correct the errors of history.

If we do that then many ‘facts’ of history would need to be amended. For example, in 1941, the Japanese liberated Malaya and the neighbouring countries from European colonial rule. History books written by westerners, however, call it the Japanese Occupation of Malaya instead of the Japanese Liberation of Malaya.

And have you noticed I am writing this article in English and not Japanese? Well, that is because the Japanese surrendered in August 1945. That is why we are all now speaking English and not Japanese. And today we would not be arguing about Merdeka and Malaysia because on 31st August 1945 Malaya (and Singapore), Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan) and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia and East Timor) would all be part of Melayu Raya.

If that had happened this would mean this year is not the 59th Anniversary of Malaya’s independence from Britain or the 53rd Anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. It would have been the 71st Anniversary of Merdeka and the 71st Anniversary of the formation of Melayu Raya.

Unfortunately, a mere two weeks before that could happen, the Americans dropped two atom bombs on Japan and, because of that, today we are arguing about whether we should be celebrating Malaysia’s 59th or 53rd Anniversary and whether it should be celebrated on the 31st of August or the 16th of September.

Some argue that the clock should be turned back to pre-August 1963 and that Sabah and Sarawak should revert to what it used to be. In short, what these people are saying is that Sabah and Sarawak should be allowed to leave Malaysia and should revert to its original status.

I have no problems with that if they conduct a Referendum and, say, 70% of Sabahans and Sarawakians vote to leave Malaysia. But the question still remains: to what point in history do you turn the clock back to? Who determines this date? And why should it be, say, 1st August 1963? What makes 1st August 1963 so special and the fair and just date to use?

If we turn back the clock then Sarawak should go back to Brunei and Sabah to Indonesia. And why focus only on Sabah and Sarawak? Do Sabahans and Sarawakians think they are God’s chosen people and only what Sabahans and Sarawakians want matter while everyone else does not matter?

Labuan should go back to Sabah, some argue. That’s fine with me if that is what 70% of Sabahans want. Should Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya go back to Selangor then? And what about Penang? Is it not fair that Penang goes back to Kedah? And if Penang goes back to Kedah then Singapore must be given back to Johor. There are no two says about that.

I, for one, would love to see Penang and Singapore back under the Malay Sultanate. And for that matter my beloved Selangor would have to go back to Perak while Johor has to go back to Indonesia, together with Singapore, of course (back to Riau to be exact).

So you see what happens when you turn the clock back. And do not tell me only you can decide as to what date to turn the clock back to. And Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu for sure have to go back to Thailand. Pahang, too, has to go back to Johor while Negeri Sembilan goes back to Selangor.

So what will we have left? We will have Perak (which will own Selangor and Negeri Sembilan). Kedah (which will own Penang), Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu will belong to Thailand. Sabah and Sarawak would belong to Indonesia and Brunei. Pahang, Johor and Singapore would belong to Indonesia or Riau. Then we have Melaka, which goes back to the descendants of the Sultan.

Yes, turn back the clock and many things can happen. And why should the clock be turned back only for the benefit of Sabahans and Sarawakians and why must 1st August 1963 be that date we turn the clock back to?

Sabahans and Sarawakians argue that they were independent nations (not mere states) before September 1963. That is not true. Sabah and Sarawak have always belonged to someone depending on which point in history you would like to use.

For example, Selangor became ‘independent’ in 1745. Before that it was a territory of Perak. Then, 203 years later, Selangor became part of the Federation of Malaya. In 1957, Selangor got Merdeka, but not on its own. Selangor got Merdeka as part of Malaya. In 1963, Selangor became part of Malaysia. Then Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were annexed from Selangor just like negeri Sembilan was much earlier.

So, once we settle the Sabah and Sarawak ‘independence’ issue, we will need to also settle the Selangor issue. And why is the KLIA called KLIA when it sits in Selangor and should be called the SIA. Tak malu ke federal government claim SIA as KLIA?