Let’s Goyang!

It started with a column published here by Sim Kwang Yang. The topic of his column was more to do with Chinese people’s view of politics in Malaysia. But he did make a short comment about Malaysia’s independence:

“No matter what the national narrative may say till kingdom come, my lived experience tells me that independence for my home state of Sarawak happened on 16th September, 1963, and Malaysia is merely two weeks short of 44 years old. That it has been thrust down my throat that National Day falls on August 31, and that my country has been independent for 50 years, is but another exercise of muscle flexing from post-colonial colonialism. Bearing testimony to history, I still insist there was no Malaysia before 1963.” - SKY

That little paragraph prompted a lengthy letter from an Uncle Yap. In it, he explains why Malaysia is indeed 50 years old and not 44.

I’d agree with Uncle Yap that Malaysia is 50 years old. After all, I believe Malaysia was formed before Sarawak joined. But there is a tone to the letter that would suggest to me that West Malaysians still don’t get it.

They don’t get why East Malaysians are dissociated with Malaysia.

“Here in Malaysia, we have East Malaysians who not only do not share the pride of association of being in Malaysia but are positively ashamed of it, judging by the annual strident voices of dissociation. Therein lies what I think is the nub.]… Sarawak and Sabah are parts of Malaysia and we, East and West Malaysians, are members of the same family for better or for worse. I hope the separatist sentiments as expressed by Sim may one day be a thing of the past.” - Uncle Yap

Allow me to be frank. There are alot of Sarawakians who felt (and still feel) that we would have been better off not joining Malaysia. You’d only have to look at Singapore to see how well they are doing on their own - without any natural resources to boot!

Sarawak on the other hand, is rich in timber and petroleum. On top of that, it is the largest state in Malaysia with ample rainforests and land. However most of our resources are used to enrich West Malaysia (see the Twin Towers as proof) and has therefore made a state rich in petroluem one of the poorest states in Malaysia.

And to add insult to injury, there are alot of West Malaysians who still think that Kota Kinabalu and Sarawak are one and the same place!

Its not really their fault. When you arrive at any airport in Malaysia this ‘Visit Malaysia Year 2007′, how many posters do you see advertising Sarawak? Even the posters in Kuching International Airport advertise attractions in Kota Kinabalu, Penang and Kuala Lumpur!

For allowing West Malaysia to take our resources, they agree not to interfere in our affairs. Although this has come with some benefits, what it has mainly meant for Sarawak is that it allows our leaders to run this state like their own personal playground.

In short, many Sarawakians feel that West Malaysia has taken much from this land, but has given very little back. One thing I can think of is the previous Prime Ministers initiative - the Bakun Hydroelectric Project. Trumped-up as a mega-project that will supply electricity to Sarawak and parts of West Malaysia, it has since wiped out 23,000 hectares of virgin rainforest, delivered the timber into the hands of timber barons and displaced 9,000 indigenous people. It has been described as a Ecological disaster. But guess who is also involved in this?

And this is why many Sarawakians feel dissociated from Malaysia.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Patriotism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.