July 22 is more than a date on the calendar. It marks a significant chapter in Sarawak’s history — the day the state attained self-government on its journey towards becoming a founding partner of Malaysia.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Professor Datuk Dr Sanib Said said July 22 should be remembered accurately and honestly.
He said that, in recent years, some have chosen to refer to it as Sarawak Independence Day.
“The sentiment may be understandable, but the description is historically wrong. What happened on that day was self-government under British colonial rule, not independence.
“I came into this issue directly in 2013, when the Sarawak government was preparing the golden jubilee celebration of Sarawak’s independence in Malaysia.
“I was asked to serve as a historical consultant, having researched and written on Sarawak from the end of the Second World War until 1966.
“My suggestion then was simple: begin the celebration on July 22 because it marked an important constitutional step towards independence in Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.
“‘The Road to Independence’ became the theme of the celebration,” he said.
However, Sanib said the date later took on a different political direction.
In 2016, groups of activists calling for Sarawak’s secession from Malaysia declared July 22 as Sarawak Independence Day.
That same year, July 22 was gazetted as a public holiday in Sarawak under the name “Sarawak Independence Day”.
“Later, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the present Premier of Sarawak, referred to it as ‘Hari Sarawak’ or Sarawak Day.
“That, in my view, is the better name. It honours the date without asking history to say what it did not say,” he said.
Sanib then posed the question: What does the historical record tell us about July 22, 1963?
“I went back to the old Sarawak Tribune, preserved in the Sarawak Museum. Its front page reported: ‘Ningkan appointed Chief Minister of Sarawak; New Supreme Council’.
“The Supreme Council was what we now know as the State Cabinet. Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan and his ministers received their letters of appointment on that day, and the appointments were published in the Sarawak Government Gazette dated July 22, 1963.
“There was no public celebration of independence. There was a group photograph taken by the Sarawak Information Department to record the historic appointment.”
To clarify the matter, Sanib said British colonial Governor Sir Alexander Waddell made the appointments and told reporters that he remained in charge of Sarawak.
“The Sarawak Tribune and other newspapers carried no reports of an independence proclamation or public celebration.
“British parliamentary records point the same way. During the Malaysia Bill debate on July 19, 1963, the British government still spoke of relinquishing Her Majesty’s sovereignty over Sarawak and warned that any delay would prolong the colonial status of the Borneo territories.
“Had independence been proclaimed on July 22, it would surely have been front-page news.
“For that reason, July 22 should be commemorated as Sarawak Day, not misrepresented as Independence Day.
“We honour our past best when we remember it as it was,” said Sanib.
