22nd July, Sarawak Independence Day

Today 22nd July is Sarawak Independence Day. The Sarawak Independence Day (also known as Hari Kemerdekaan Sarawak, Hari Sarawak or Sarawak Day) is a holiday observed on 22 July every year by the state of Sarawak in Malaysia, celebrating the establishment of self-government and de facto independence on 22 July 1963. 

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 being too Malaya-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

On July 22nd 1963, Sarawak attained self-government from the British Empire. On the same day, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan was appointed as Sarawak Chief Minister and the Supreme Council comprising Sarawak’s first ministerial cabinet was formed. Sarawak only remained self-governing for less than two months until September 16th 1963, when it formed Malaysia together with North Borneo, Singapore and Malaya.

The holiday is not celebrated as Sarawak Independence as the British Governor remained in residence until September 15th 1963.September 16th 1963 has been celebrated with a national holiday called Malaysia Day since 2010.

But mostly Sarawakians we stand with motto Dum Spiro Spero. This Latin phrase means “While I breathe, I hope”. It is a modern paraphrase of ideas that comes from two ancient writers, Theocritus and Cicero.

It makes the perfect motto for those who refuse to quit until the very last breath, much like our own Sarawak phrase “Agi idup, agi ngelaban”.