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Aug 31 or Sept 16? The people of Sabah and
Sarawak want Aug 31 to be addressed as the
independence day of Malaya, not Malaysia. |
Is Aug 31 the independence day of Malaysia or Malaya? Referring to the former, which is what we have for so long been doing, has caused a lot of unhappiness among the people of East Malaysia, that is, Sabah and Sarawak.
As of 2010, the population of the two states stood at six million (3.5 million in Sabah and 2.5 million in Sarawak), representing roughly 20% of the population of Malaysia.
Historically, the term “Malaysia” came into being on Sept 16, 1963. Prior to that, this country was called “Malaya” which in the Philippine national language of Tagalog also means “free” or “freedom”.