COMMENT Malaysia Day commemorated Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah coming together to form, on Sept 16, 1963, what we know as Malaysia today. However, since then, this partnership has increasingly grown unhappier.

Singapore left the federation promptly in 1965 due to disagreements on fundamental issues, while separatist movements like “Sarawak for Sarawakians” have been recently gaining popularity in that East Malaysian state.