Former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee has once again called for more historical facts about Sabah prior to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia to be included in the school syllabus. Yong, who is the president of the Sabah Progressive Party, emphasized the importance of this, especially now that the state has officially recognized and celebrated Sabah Day on August 31.
Yong expressed gratitude that after more than a decade of campaigning, Sabah Day has finally become an official day of celebration. However, he pointed out that many people, including Sabahans themselves, are still unaware of the significance of Sabah Day, which commemorates the date of August 31, 1963, when Sabah achieved self-governance.
In response to a recent statement by Tungku assemblyman Assaffal Allan, who argued that Sabah Day does not celebrate Sabah’s independence but rather its self-governance, Yong acknowledged that the statement was not entirely wrong. According to Yong, Sabah did not have the formal instrument from the British to declare complete independence as a republic. Instead, they were given full governance for two weeks until the Federation of Malaysia was formed on September 16, 1963.
During this two-week gap, the United Nations’ fact-finding mission was conducted to confirm the desire of the people of North Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) to form the Federation of Malaysia. Yong hopes that the celebration of Sabah Day this year will enhance the appreciation and understanding of Sabah’s history.
Yong emphasizes the need to include this information in the history lessons (Sejarah) of all Malaysian school syllabi. He believes that this year’s celebration of Sabah Day also marks the state’s 60th anniversary or diamond jubilee.
The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) was among the first to propose an official Sabah Day celebration for the state. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan successfully turned this proposal into a reality.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
