STATE rights group Sarawak Association for Peoples’ Aspiration (Sapa), has accused “local politicians” in the former gold mining town of Bau, some 24km from Kuching, of sabotaging their independence day gathering there. 

Its president Dominique Ng said the permit to make use of the Dewan Suarah (community hall) in Bau for the gathering had been withdrawn “at the last minute”. 

Ng, a PKR politician, is not new to such controversy, having faced similar disruptions in his long battle to get September 16 recognised as Malaysia Day and a national holiday.

Sapa will be holding its alternative independence day celebration at Central Padang in Kuching tomorrow morning. 

The official gathering will be in Sibu later in the evening.

Ng said the Central Padang ceremony will be kept simple with a flag-raising ceremony and the singing of Fair Land Sarawak, an old state anthem that has been adopted by Sarawak nationalists.

He said after the Kuching ceremony, Sapa nationalists and their supporters will drive up to Bau for the 722 ceremony.

Ng gave the assurance that there will be no trouble with the authorities like in his past escapades, as he said the police have been “accordingly notified for both events and would be expected to provide all the necessary police support and assistance for the purpose of traffic control and keeping of peace”.

Despite the alleged sabotage in the Bau event, Ng said the struggle towards Sarawak’s independence “will not be stopped or in any way detracted by such minor setbacks”.

“We (will) continue to struggle until we achieve our real independence and the restoration of our sovereignty.” 

One group that will not be celebrating the day tomorrow are supporters of the pro-independence Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK). 

PBK president Voon Lee Shan said 722 – which stands for July 22 – has created much confusion among the Sarawak people. 

“Many have questioned the wisdom of celebrating 722, with some asking whether Sarawak had ever been granted independence,” he said. 

Voon said Sarawak had never been granted independence by the British before the federation of Malaysia was formed, so July 22, 1963, has no cultural, political or historical significance to Sarawak. 

“It was only the day that Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan was appointed as the first chief minister of Sarawak.

“There was no self-rule or self-government for Sarawak because there was no legal document or instrument issued by British governor Sir Alexander Waddell or by the United Kingdom government for self-governance,” he said. – July 21, 2022.