Sabah government officially gazettes Sabah Day

KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led state government has officially gazetted Sabah Day to be on Aug 31, 61 years after the Union Jack flag was lowered in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu).

On that day in 1963, Sabah was granted self-government before forming the Federation of Malaysia together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore the following month on Sept 16.

Singapore, however, seceded on Aug 9, 1963, to become an independent state.

“This is a very historic day for Sabah, and the government believes it needs to be celebrated, to be remembered,” said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at the 2024 Maahad Tahfiz Sulaimaniyyah Malaysia Timur graduation ceremony, here, on Saturday (July 6).

He said the gazettement was decided during the weekly Sabah Cabinet meeting.

Hajii also assured that the celebration would not create confusion despite Sabah Day coinciding with National Day, which also falls on the same date.

“We will celebrate Sabah Day, but of course, it should not interfere with the National Day celebration," he said.

Sabah Day was first celebrated last year to mark Sabah’s 60th independence day, with Tambunan, a picturesque district located in the state’s interior, playing host to the maiden celebration.

The event was held after the National Day celebrations in Kota Kinabalu.

Hajiji was reported saying that the venue for the annual Sabah Day celebrations will be rotated among the districts in the state.

"Let us honour and commemorate the day which marked the end of the British colonial rule in Sabah and signifies our journey of coming together as a people to establish self-rule," he said.

Meanwhile, earlier, Hajiji said the Sabah government has allocated RM131mil for the development and operations of Islamic religious schools and mosques, as well as religious programmes under the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department this year.

This, he added, is part of the government’s various efforts and initiatives to help the people, develop and subsequently bring more progress to the state.

"The state government continues to strengthen human capital development by providing various forms of assistance, loans, and allocations, as well as educational opportunities to the people regardless of race, ethnicity, and religion.

"Recently, I launched the Sabah Education Sponsorship Portal, which brings together all major education sponsors in the state under one platform.

"The Portal is a new initiative under the Sabah Maju Jaya direction to enhance support for Sabah children, especially those pursuing higher education, through the combined efforts of major sponsoring bodies and education aid providers in the state," he said.

In addition, he said, the state government also pays attention to tahfiz schools in the state and will continue to support any needs.