AS Sarawak marks the day it was granted self-governance, it will attempt to recreate the historic scene 54 years ago, when the Union Jack was lowered for the last time and the red, black and yellow flag of post-colonial Sarawak flew on its own.

The date was July 22, 1963. The scene, Pengkalan Batu at Kuching’s popular waterfront.

On that day in 1963, the last British colonial governor, Sir Alexander Waddell, boarded a British warship berthed opposite the Astana, taking with him the Union Jack as he departed for Singapore on the first leg of his long trip home.

Today, there will be no Waddell lookalike nor a warship, but the re-enactment will be held at the spot where the Union Jack was lowered.

This year will be only the second time in more than five decades that the state’s “independence day” is officially observed.

The significance of the date has gotten buried, with August 31 widely celebrated as Hari Merdeka, even though the latter date has no significance in Sarawak.

It was not until the late Adenan Satem came to power as chief minister that – through the reasserting of eroded state rights  in full compliance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 –  the date was “resurrected”  and given prominence.

Adenan, who died of heart complications on January 11, less than a year after a landslide win in state elections, had, in 2015, gazetted July 22 as Sarawak Day.

The question of what the day should be called – Sarawak Day or Independence Day? – is a divisive one.

State rights activists, like Lina Soo, have long argued that Sarawak was never granted independence by the British, and so, it should not be called Independence Day.

“Only self-rule was granted to Sarawak on July 22, 1963,” said Soo, who heads the State Reform Party.

“Nominal self-government was Britain’s acknowledgment of the people’s right to self-determination and a prelude to the creation of Malaysia, but it was not the national independence that the people of Sarawak craved for.

“For Britain to grant independence to its colonies, it must pass an act of Parliament in Westminster. This was never done for Sarawak.

“The brief moment of pseudo-independence is meaningless. Sarawak had only 56 days of self-governance, which is barely sufficient for a colony to gain maturity in politics and government.”

She said Sarawak Day was “a charade and political act done to appease strong nationalist feelings”.

Sarawak for Sarawakians spokesman Peter John Jaban shares Soo’s sentiments.

“It was simply the day Sarawak was handed self-government as a prelude to a much larger event: the formation of Malaysia less than two months later.”

He said while the date was “not important”, the “symbolic meaning” behind it was.

“It is a symbol of Sarawak’s partnership in a new nation, instead of its subjugation.

“It is part of a body of evidence that we formed Malaysia, not just joined it.

“It is evidence that we signed an agreement as a sovereign nation in charge of its own destiny.”

However, the significance of the event that occurred on July 22, 1963, is lost among a majority of Sarawak folk, particularly the young.

“Until rights activists began raising awareness five years ago, many people in Sarawak, both young and old, did not know the importance of the date in the country’s history. History books have been ‘silent’ on this date,” said Soo.

“The need to send a legal team to study information on Sarawak rights in the London archives reflects the lack of knowledge on what had actually happened in the 1960s,” she said, referring to Sarawak’s move to send a team to London to look up documents on matters that were agreed upon but not recorded in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“We must educate Sarawakians, especially the young, so that we are more aware of what we deserve.

“Let Sarawakians determine the future of the state, and encourage the younger generation to continue fighting for our rights.”

She said events of historical significance to Sarawak should be included in history textbooks and taught in school.

“Since education had been federalised, events of key significance to Sarawak have been neglected. Or perhaps, educators have little knowledge on Sarawak’s history.”

Soo believed Putrajaya would not bother including the state’s history in the school curriculum.

Awareness, however, is being raised.

“This is all changing thanks to a grassroots movement to reassess Sarawak’s position in Malaysia,” said Jaban.

“With marches and protests, first for September 16 and then July 22, the movement has become increasingly mainstream, starting with the people in the last few years.

“The state government is now organising forums to discuss and promote Sarawak’s history and position in Malaysia more openly.

“(Information on) the anti-cession movement and formation of Malaysia is now in the Sarawak museum, for example.”

Jaban said with a new state-level ministry for education, science and technology, “perhaps, Sarawak’s history will reclaim its rightful place in the psyche of citizens”.

“Hopefully, it will become a central part of the syllabus in the years to come, and a source of national pride and civic responsibility.” – July 21, 2017.