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Sarawak Day (), officially known as Sarawak Independence Day () is a holiday celebrated on 22 July annually by
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
, celebrating the establishment of ''de facto''
self-government Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any ...
on 22 July 1963. The official Sarawak Independence Day public holiday was gazetted by the government of Sarawak in 2016 to raise awareness about Sarawak's past and contributions of its past leaders. Despite this official name, there are those who still avoided using this title, calling it the informal "Sarawak Day" instead, due to lack of awareness of its legality ("Sarawak Independence Day" is in fact the official government gazetted name), while some still argue about its historical accuracy, citing British legislation did not provide for an official, full independence. Nonetheless, there was indeed a degree of ''de facto'' independence in the form of self-government ahead of it taking part in the founding of a new federation in the form of Malaysia with other partners. The idea of a Sarawakian holiday was mooted by the Sarawak state government and citizens since 2012, after public discontent about the public holiday
Hari Merdeka Independence Day (), also known as National Day (), is the independence day of the Federation of Malaya from the British Empire. It commemorates the Malayan Declaration of Independence of 31 August 1957, and is defined in article 160 of the ...
being too
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
-centric. The day was officially named Sarawak Independence Day and declared as a public holiday for the first time in 2016. Although there have been persistent attempts to falsify the historical record for political purposes, it is incontrovertible that Sarawak as a British crown colony achieved independence on 16 September 1963 as a member state of the Malaysian Federation under the Malaysia legislation passed by the sovereign United Kingdom and Malayan Parliaments in July 1963.


Background

The
Sultanate of Brunei Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
granted the
Raj of Sarawak The Raj of Sarawak, Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, was a kingdom founded in 1841 in northwestern Borneo and was in a Protectorate, treaty of protection with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom from 1888. It ...
to rule of the Brooke Dynasty in 1841, Sarawak was subsequently recognised as a sovereign nation by the United States (1850) and Great Britain (1864), and it voluntarily became a British protectorate (military protection) in 1888. After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the territory was briefly administered by the British Military Administration, then became a
Crown Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...
in 1946 when it was ceded to British Government by
Charles Vyner Brooke Charles Vyner Brooke, (full name Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke, 26 September 1874 – 9 May 1963) was the third and last White Rajah of the Raj of Sarawak. Early life Charles Vyner Brooke was the son of Charles Brooke and Margaret de Windt ( ...
. The transferring of the territory to colonial administration had led to major protests by Sarawakian citizens who wanted the independence of Sarawak to be restored. This led to the assassination of Duncan Stewart, the second governor of the Colony, by
Rosli Dhobi Rosli Dhobi (18 March 1932–2 March 1950) also Rosli Dhoby, was a Sarawakian nationalist from Sibu of mixed Malaysian Malays, Malay-Melanau people, Melanau descent during the British crown colony era in that state. He was a member leader of ...
, who was captured and subsequently hanged for murder. The position of the Governor was succeeded by
Anthony Abell Anthony Foster Abell (11 December 1906 – 8 October 1994) was a British colonial administrator who served as the governor of Sarawak and concurrently as high commissioner to Brunei from 1950 to 1959. With nine years in office, he held the r ...
, who also became one of the members for the
Cobbold Commission The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak supported the proposal to create the Federation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Brunei, Singapore, North Borne ...
which brought Sarawak and
North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...
to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. Sarawak was granted self-rule on 22 July 1963, on the expectation that it would jointly form the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September the same year. It is said that before the ceremony on 22 July 1963, Alexander Waddell, the last Governor of the Colony, left the
Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...
and boarded a white
sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed wooden boat found in East, Southeast, and South Asia. It is possibly of Chinese or Austronesian origin. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on in ...
to cross the
Sarawak River The Sarawak River () is a river in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is an important source of water and transportation for the inhabitants in southwestern Sarawak. The river is also used for water-related sport activities such as the annual Sarawak Regatta ...
, then handed the administration of Sarawak to the Sarawakian citizens, with the colonial Union Jack flag lowered for the last time, and the Sarawak flag raised. Some historians dispute the significance of that event and whether it was tantamount to a granting of full independence. However, on the same day, the outgoing Governor did indeed proclaim the appointment of
Stephen Kalong Ningkan Stephen Kalong Ningkan (20 August 1920 – 31 March 1997) was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Sarawak from 1963 to 1966. Early life and education Stephen Kalong Ningkan was born on 20 August 1920 in Betong, ...
as the first
Chief Minister of Sarawak The premier of Sarawak () is the head of government of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The premier leads the Government of Sarawak, the executive branch of the state government, and is appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, the ceremonial gove ...
as well as the appointment of new Supreme Council members who formed the government's first ministerial
Cabinet of Sarawak The cabinet of Sarawak ( Malay: ''Kabinet Sarawak'') serves as the primary decision-making body within the executive branch of the Government of Sarawak. Its composition mirrors that of the federal level, albeit on a smaller scale. At its core ...
. In 2016, the Sarawak Government under Chief Minister
Adenan Satem Adenan bin Haji Satem (; 27 January 1944 – 11 January 2017), popularly known as Tok Nan, was a Malaysian politician who served as the fifth chief minister of Sarawak from March 2014 to his death in January 2017. During his tenure, Adenan he ...
officially gazetted 22 July as a Sarawak public holiday and that it henceforth be known as "Sarawak Independence Day". Michael Leigh, an academic researching on the history of Sarawak, mentioned that Sarawak was "self-governed", but not "independent" on that day because although the British Governor was obliged to accept the advice from the newly formed Sarawak Cabinet, the Governor retained its full authority until the formation of Malaysia on 16 September.


Gallery

File:Hoisting the Sarawak flag, 1945 (AWM 118393).JPG, The hoisting of the Raj of Sarawak flag on the civilian compound of the Kuching POW and internment camp on 12 September 1945 by Mr. D. R. Lascelles, the former District Officer for Miri and Mr J. B. Archer, the Chief of Section of Sarawak Civil Service, ex-internees of the Japanese shortly after the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
.


Further reading

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See also

*
Sabah Day Sabah Day () is a self-government day celebrated on 31 August every year by the state of Sabah in Malaysia. Since 2012, the holiday has been received widely by the Sabah state government and the citizens of Sabah, and officially gazetted as an ...
*
Malaysia Day Malaysia Day (; Jawi: ) is a public holiday held on 16 September every year nationally since 2010 to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on that date in 1963. This event saw Malaya (already a sovereign state since 1957 ...


References


Bibliography

* {{Malaysia topics History of Sarawak Sarawak July observances Public holidays in Malaysia