According to Going Places, the inflight magazine of Malaysia Airlines, "The formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963 - consisting of Malaya, North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore - was originally planned to take place on June 1.
"It was postponed to Aug 31 to coincide with Malaysia's sixth National Day, and then further delayed due to objections from Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as to allow the United Nations to conduct referendums in North Borneo and Sarawak."
The glossy magazine provides a potted history of Malaysia Day, Sept 16, in a brief article titled ‘Altogether then', in the history section of its ‘To Know Malaysia' page.
It is eerily similar to Wikipedia's entry on Malaysia Day, but without accreditation. It may not matter much to the casual, bleary-eyed jetsetter in transit, flipping through the (usually entertaining) magazine, but a couple of howlers stand out.
The first, more obvious error, is the statement that Aug 31, 1963, was Malaysia's sixth National Day, rather than Malaya's sixth anniversary of Independence from the British.
This is perhaps understandable, a Hobbesian slip of the tongue commonly made by Peninsular Malaysians. Some say, for example, "when are you coming to Malaysia?" when inviting Sarawakian or Sabahan friends to Kuala Lumpur.
Inevitably, these same people assert that Kuching is the capital of Sabah. Of course, Sarawakians and Sabahans may harbour many misconceptions of Peninsular Malaysians, too.
The second mistake is slightly more subtle. There was never any referendum on Malaysia in North Borneo or Sarawak, by the United Nations or any other party.
Singapore held a "national referendum" (denounced as a rigged vote by the opposition Barisan Sosialis) that did not, oddly enough, include a rejection of the merger with Malaya as one of the three choices on offer.
No referendum on Malaysia
The generally accepted definition of a referendum, "a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision", was never on the cards for Sarawak and Sabah - there was potent opposition in both states to the formation of a federation with Malaya, with ongoing armed insurrections.
Instead, in February 1962, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan appointed Cameron Cobbold, Governor of the Bank of England throughout the 1950s (despite having endured only one year of university education), to "ascertain the views of the peoples of North Borneo and Sarawak" regarding the proposed merger.
The three British and two Malayan members of the commission cobbled their recommendations together, based on their limited consultations.
"Over 4,000 persons appeared before us in some 690 groups which varied in size from 1 to over 50," they reported. Short of five months after it was established, the Cobbold Commission, as expected, recommended the formation of Malaysia.
Every Sept 16, Malaysia Day is greeted with mixed feelings in Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak declared its independence from Britain on July 22, 1963, and Sabah lowered the Union Jack on Aug 31.
On Sept 16, 1963, North Borneo and Sarawak became part of Malaysia, the new federation desperately assembled by the departing British as a defence against communist insurgents and Indonesian belligerence.
"It was postponed to Aug 31 to coincide with Malaysia's sixth National Day, and then further delayed due to objections from Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as to allow the United Nations to conduct referendums in North Borneo and Sarawak."
The glossy magazine provides a potted history of Malaysia Day, Sept 16, in a brief article titled ‘Altogether then', in the history section of its ‘To Know Malaysia' page.
It is eerily similar to Wikipedia's entry on Malaysia Day, but without accreditation. It may not matter much to the casual, bleary-eyed jetsetter in transit, flipping through the (usually entertaining) magazine, but a couple of howlers stand out.
The first, more obvious error, is the statement that Aug 31, 1963, was Malaysia's sixth National Day, rather than Malaya's sixth anniversary of Independence from the British.This is perhaps understandable, a Hobbesian slip of the tongue commonly made by Peninsular Malaysians. Some say, for example, "when are you coming to Malaysia?" when inviting Sarawakian or Sabahan friends to Kuala Lumpur.
Inevitably, these same people assert that Kuching is the capital of Sabah. Of course, Sarawakians and Sabahans may harbour many misconceptions of Peninsular Malaysians, too.
The second mistake is slightly more subtle. There was never any referendum on Malaysia in North Borneo or Sarawak, by the United Nations or any other party.
Singapore held a "national referendum" (denounced as a rigged vote by the opposition Barisan Sosialis) that did not, oddly enough, include a rejection of the merger with Malaya as one of the three choices on offer.
No referendum on Malaysia
The generally accepted definition of a referendum, "a general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision", was never on the cards for Sarawak and Sabah - there was potent opposition in both states to the formation of a federation with Malaya, with ongoing armed insurrections.
Instead, in February 1962, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan appointed Cameron Cobbold, Governor of the Bank of England throughout the 1950s (despite having endured only one year of university education), to "ascertain the views of the peoples of North Borneo and Sarawak" regarding the proposed merger.
The three British and two Malayan members of the commission cobbled their recommendations together, based on their limited consultations.
"Over 4,000 persons appeared before us in some 690 groups which varied in size from 1 to over 50," they reported. Short of five months after it was established, the Cobbold Commission, as expected, recommended the formation of Malaysia.
Every Sept 16, Malaysia Day is greeted with mixed feelings in Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak declared its independence from Britain on July 22, 1963, and Sabah lowered the Union Jack on Aug 31.
On Sept 16, 1963, North Borneo and Sarawak became part of Malaysia, the new federation desperately assembled by the departing British as a defence against communist insurgents and Indonesian belligerence.
Today, thanks to atrocious governance, Sabah and Sarawak rank among the poorest states in Malaysia, despite great timber and mineral wealth.Many Sabahans and Sarawakians, of all ethnic groups, resent the short shrift given by ruling authorities to the 20-point agreement in Sabah and the 18-point agreement in Sarawak, promising self-determination, made 49 years ago.
The controversial Merdeka Day theme, Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled) was greeted with something close to incredulity by many Sabahans and Sarawakians.
The promised position of the two Borneo states as equal partners in the Malaysian project took a nosedive after 1963, and went into free fall following Lee Kuan Yew's tearful withdrawal from the federation in 1965.
With Singapore gone, the importance of the Borneo natives' vote - in balancing out the large number of Chinese in Singapore - melted like ice cream at noon.
But since 2008, the voices of Sabahans and Sarawakians have become audible again, now that Malaysia's primitive ethnic politics is showing its age, and growing toothless.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) cannot be oblivious to the resentment across the South China Sea. Many Sarawakian and Sabahan politicians have expressed dismay at the stranglehold on flights into the two states by MAS and AirAsia, and the consequent strain placed on the tourism industry.
The rural air service (RAS), provided to remote communities by both MAS and, from 2006 to 2007, AirAsia's spin-off, Fly Asian Xpress (FAX), has also been attacked for sporadic service failures. Both airlines have earned enormous sums in government subsidies, but have failed to provide a reliable RAS schedule.
After the RAS returned to MAS, FAX was subsequently rebrandedas AirAsiaX.
Saving the nation
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's promise in April this year to allow Sabah and Sarawak a stake in MASwings, the MAS subsidiary operating the RAS, appears to be motivated by anxiety that he may soon be the first Umno president to lose a general election.
In its latest issue, Going Places also waded into the heated political debate surrounding a controversial film praising Najib's father Abdul Razak, Malaysia's second premier.
In an interview with Tan Hui Ling, Shuhaimi Baba (left), director of the government-funded film Tanda Putera, denies that the film was timed to coincide with Najib's crucial test in the coming election, saying she had written the script in 2009.
The Going Places article, "Saving a Nation", effusively praises the late Razak, and refutes allegations that Razak had encouraged ethnic killings in 1969. "New publications accused Tun Abdul Razak of instigating the racial riots of 13 May 1969. Having done the research, I was aghast at the suggestion!" Shuhaimi tells Tan.
Tan did not press Shuhaimi for the details of her research, and failed to mention alternative views, such as the "new publications" that the director had alluded to.
Dr Kua Kia Soong, author of a meticulously researched book on May 13, has argued that the pogrom had been orchestrated as part of a coup d'etat against Tunku Abdul Rahman, a political takeover by the emerging strength of Malay "state capitalists".
Malaysia Airlines has responded to a request to comment on the articles. Nor Zalida Ahmad, MAS vice-president of strategic communications, said:
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's promise in April this year to allow Sabah and Sarawak a stake in MASwings, the MAS subsidiary operating the RAS, appears to be motivated by anxiety that he may soon be the first Umno president to lose a general election.
In its latest issue, Going Places also waded into the heated political debate surrounding a controversial film praising Najib's father Abdul Razak, Malaysia's second premier.
In an interview with Tan Hui Ling, Shuhaimi Baba (left), director of the government-funded film Tanda Putera, denies that the film was timed to coincide with Najib's crucial test in the coming election, saying she had written the script in 2009.The Going Places article, "Saving a Nation", effusively praises the late Razak, and refutes allegations that Razak had encouraged ethnic killings in 1969. "New publications accused Tun Abdul Razak of instigating the racial riots of 13 May 1969. Having done the research, I was aghast at the suggestion!" Shuhaimi tells Tan.
Tan did not press Shuhaimi for the details of her research, and failed to mention alternative views, such as the "new publications" that the director had alluded to.
Dr Kua Kia Soong, author of a meticulously researched book on May 13, has argued that the pogrom had been orchestrated as part of a coup d'etat against Tunku Abdul Rahman, a political takeover by the emerging strength of Malay "state capitalists".
Malaysia Airlines has responded to a request to comment on the articles. Nor Zalida Ahmad, MAS vice-president of strategic communications, said:
“We have checked with Spafax Networks, the team that gathers content for the magazine, and found that the write-up titled ‘Altogether then’ was compiled based on information that covered multiple references, and that one of the reasons for the delay was to allow the UN to conduct referendums.
“Meanwhile, the article titled ‘Saving a nation’ on Shuhaimi Baba focused on the film-making process and as it was an interview with the filmaker, it therefore contained solely her views on the file. The article was not intended to be in any way an analysis or review of the film or events captured in it. Neither was it meant to be political in nature.
“Both articles above were part of our efforts to commemorate Malaysia Day and to share slices of Malaysian history with our readers. We do apologise if we may have inadvertently caused any confusion or disagreement, and wish to assure you that it is not our intention to mislead readers.”
“Meanwhile, the article titled ‘Saving a nation’ on Shuhaimi Baba focused on the film-making process and as it was an interview with the filmaker, it therefore contained solely her views on the file. The article was not intended to be in any way an analysis or review of the film or events captured in it. Neither was it meant to be political in nature.
“Both articles above were part of our efforts to commemorate Malaysia Day and to share slices of Malaysian history with our readers. We do apologise if we may have inadvertently caused any confusion or disagreement, and wish to assure you that it is not our intention to mislead readers.”
KERUAH USIT is a human rights activist - ‘anak Sarawak, bangsa Malaysia'. This weekly column is an effort to provide a voice for marginalised Malaysians. Keruah Usit can be contacted atkeruah_usit@yahoo.com
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