Loyalty from the East
Sarawak's Dayak and Sabah's Kadazandusun peoples were not among those who celebrated the first Merdeka in 1957. Their entry into Malaysia in 1963 came under circumstances that appear to have since created a two-tier notion of patriotism.
When Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj became the first prime minister of the independent Malaya in 1957, he was asked to consider a British-inspired proposal to bring in a predominantly-Chinese Singapore.
His racial arithmetical instincts considered the inclusion of then British North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak as an imperative in forming a federation, as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) lecturer Dr Ooi Keat Gin once wrote.
Fortunately, for the Tunku, post-war British governments were already partial to the policy of disengagement from the colonies, if possible in an amicable and least traumatic manner.
With substantial British commercial interests in these territories, the Malaysia concept was probably seen in as achieving a dual purpose - letting go of colonies as part of growing de-colonisation and safeguarding the commercial operations.
That probably accounts for why Sarawak and Sabah joined self-governing Singapore and Malaya in forming the new federation of Malaysia in July 1963, instead of possibly taking a longer path to independence via a lose federation of Borneo states including Brunei.
For the rest of this story and more, subscribe for only RM150 a year. If you're already a subscriber, please sign in.
Sign in Subscribe now