S’wakian leaders slam Raja Petra for ‘leave M’sia’ comment
Leaders from both sides of the political aisle have condemned Raja Petra Kamarudin’s article where he tells Sarawakians to put up or “shut up” regarding Merdeka Day celebrations.
(FMT) – Sarawakian politicians have slammed a Merdeka Day article by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin in which they were told that they must observe Aug 31 as Independence Day the same way July 4 was considered as such for all states in the United States.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Bawang Assan Branch Chairman Robert Lau Hui Yew said Raja Petra’s knowledge of Malaysian history left much to be desired.
“Obviously, he has not read the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“How can the formation of Malaysia in 1963 by four separate self-governing nations be compared to the US?
“The US maintained its original entity from 1776 without any changes to its structure or Constitution as it expanded its territories westward.
“Their history is so very different,” he said.
“In 1957, there was no such place called Malaysia. Sarawak and Sabah were founding members of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. We are not the 13th or 14th states of Malaysia.”
DAP Youth leader Abdul Aziz Isa said Raja Petra’s comments smacked of “arrogance and malice.”
“His inflammatory comments in his postings show how immature and desperate he can be to gain attention.”
He added that Raja Petra had joined the likes of Ridhuan Tee, Jamal Yunos, Ali Tinju, Ramesh Rao and Ibrahim Ali.
Senator Idris Buang told FMT today that celebrating Merdeka Day should not be taken out of its proper context.
“I guess the whole thing about the Merdeka celebration goes down pretty much as to how much patriotism we have for Malaysia.”
Idris expected all Malaysians to continue to celebrate Merdeka “with the highest sense of responsibility and espirit de corp with fellow citizens.”
