I still remember learning history in my secondary school days… we would learn about August 31 1957 and the events that led up to that history day where Tunku Abdul Rahman led the legendary cry of freedom “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!” for the liberated Malaya.

However, the part that always perplexed me was how come there was much less fanfare when it came to the formation of Malaysia, or Gagasan Malaysia as it was known then. The history books always tell us about how the birth of this country called Malaysia would help quell the threat of the communists and how it would make Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak more stable and noticed in the South East Asia region. But they don’t celebrate the birth of this new nation called Malaysia on 16th September 1963.

So here’s the question I’ve been asking myself since I read about these two events in the history books. If 31 August is declared a public holiday because Malaya achieved independence, how is it that the birth of a new country called Malaysia isn’t a public holiday for all its citizens? This is the reason why our friends in Sabah and Sarawak do not share in our zeal for 31 August. The independence of Malaya had nothing to do with Sabah and Sarawak!! It is Malaysia Day that we can all celebrate together.

Here’s the blatant© question of the day: So, how come today isn’t a public holiday? Go figure.

To all my fellow Malaysians, whether you stay in West or East Malaysia, please accept our sincere wishes:

Happy Malaysia Day!

Regards,
Colin blatant©