"7.22" is coming soon. Is 7.22 Independence Day? Is Sarawak really independent on this day? "7.22 Independence Day" is a statutory holiday announced in the Sarawak Government Gazette. The name is Sarawak Day.

Looking back on history: Tan Sri Adinan, the former head of Sarawak, revealed that he had in mind to declare "Sarawak Independence Day" as a public holiday at the New Year Gala Dinner of SUPP Miri on the evening of February 12, 2016. He said he will discuss the above matters with his "colleagues". Adenan also made it clear: “Celebrating Sarawak’s 722 Independence Day is not an announcement that Sarawak will secede from Malaysia. Sarawak will always be a part of Malaysia. Celebrating 722 is to commemorate Sarawak’s formal separation from British rule on July 22, 1963. "
The official statement is:" On July 22, 1963, Sarawak officially broke away from British rule." On the 56th day that followed, Sarawak joined Malaysia and ended its short-term independence.

The historical fact is:* On July 9, 1963, the British colonial authorities arranged for Datuk Bandar, Datuk Haji Openg, Temenggong Jugah and Ling Beng Siew to sign the Malaysia Agreement in London. The establishment of the Federation of Malaysia was announced in Kuala Lumpur on the 31st. The Sarawak Legislative Assembly did not authorize them to sign on behalf of Sarawak.

After the signing of the Malaysia agreement, it was condemned by many countries. The Philippine government and the Indonesian government even filed a complaint with the United Nations. This forced the establishment of Malaysia on August 31, 1963 to be postponed to September 16, 1963 and an arrangement was made for the United Nations to send a team to Sarawak to conduct a poll.

Due to the constant international protests*, the identity of the signatories of the "Malaysian Act* (Sarawak is still a colony and has no right to sign contracts with independent countries, otherwise, the contracts signed by it are illegal) was also questioned, so a so-called *7.22 "independence" was made ceremonial to make up for the question of identity. *

The question is, what is the power handed over to Sarawak from the UK on July 22? The most important thing for a country is * national defense, internal affairs, police, foreign affairs, finances, the right to issue banknotes*, etc. Has it been handed over to the Ninkang government in Sarawak? No. Is this called independence? Strictly speaking, this is a farce to confuse people.

By the way, three weeks later, on August 16, 1963, the UN investigation mission came to Kuching, Sibu, and Miri to investigate public opinion, and encountered the largest demonstration in Sarawak history, involving tens of thousands of people of all ethnic groups strongly protesting the forced establishment of Malaysia. Later, the British and Malayan authorities, before the UN investigation mission report and the UN Investigation Public Opinion Report were published, announced in a hurry the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

If you want to make a vivid analogy, it is: 7.9 London agreement signing = minors arranged to sign marriage certificates; 7.22 Sarawak "Independence Day" = fake birth certificate.

This is Sarawak's history of being tricked, coerced and lured into Malaya by force. The painful history should not be buried. People who truly love Sarawak will continue to struggle until victory.

Yu Chin Liik
Life President,
Parti Bumi Kenyalang