KOTA KINABALU: School History books must include an accurate account of the formation of Malaysia in 1963, says Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
Its Youth vice chief Yong Yit Jee said the current history syllabus continues to say that Malaysia's independence was Aug 31, 1957 with little priority given to the independence of Sabah and Sarawak in 1963 and its subsequent entry into the formation of Malaysia.
Yong, who is an SAPP supreme council member, said an accurate and factual account of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) should be incorporated into the History syllabus.
He said for the first time, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)-led state government has made the decision to officially celebrate Sabah Day on Aug 31.
He said SAPP, Sabah STAR and NGOs have been asking for Sabah Day to be recognised, and the state's move to celebrate it was a positive step forward.
“It is important for our future leaders and pillars to understand the accurate and factual basis of MA63. For example, many people, including Sabahans, do not know the true history of the formation of Malaysia.
"I believe all students, including myself, were and are still being taught that Aug 31, 1957 is the Malaysia Independence/National Day,” he said.
“This is not true at all as Malaya gained independence on Aug 31, 1957; Sarawak gained independence on July 22, 1963, while Sabah obtained self-governance status on Aug 31, 1963.
"Malaysia was only formed on Sept 16, 1963.
“As a Sabahan, I celebrate Sabah Day on Aug 31 (60 this year) and Malaysia Day on Sept 16 (66 this year),” he added.
He hoped that the Federal Government would take steps to include MA63 into the syllabus.
"If the Federal Government refuses to introduce MA63 into the syllabus, maybe the GRS-led government could publish a state endorsed book on the true and accurate MA63 in different languages for the public,” he added.
