Sabah Day

Sabah Day
The celebration in 2013.
Official nameHari Sabah
Observed bySabah
TypeState
SignificanceMarks the establishment of the de facto self-government in North Borneo
Date31 August
Next time31 August 2024 (2024-08-31)
Frequencyannual
The first flag of Sabah after achieving a self-government on 31 August 1963.

Sabah Day is a self-government day celebrated on 31 August every year by the state of Sabah in Malaysia.[1][2][3] Since 2012, the holiday has been received widely by the Sabah state government and the citizens of Sabah, as the Hari Merdeka was not the right celebration day for the state.[4][5][6][7]

While North Borneo Self-government Day is often referred to as 'Sabah Independence Day', this is strictly speaking incorrect, since British legislation on North Borneo's self-government did not provide for its independence prior to it joining to form the federation of Malaysia.[8] In 2018, the Borneo Heritage Foundation (BHF) has called the state government to gazette the day as "Sabah Day" and declare it as a state holiday.[9]

Sabah Day will be celebrated for the first time since 1963 by 2023 and beyond, after the state government approved the proposal to gazette 31 August as "Sabah Day" in 2021.[10] This will replace the current Hari Merdeka that has been celebrated widely in Sabah for a long time.

  1. ^ "Sabah Early History". Sabah State Government. New Sabah Times. 6 December 2007. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Sabah's People and History". Sabah's Heritage: A Brief Introduction to Sabah's History, Sabah Museum, Kota Kinabalu. Official Portal Of The Sabah State Government (Mobile). 1992. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  3. ^ Bob Teoh (6 August 2012). "Tanah airku - My homeland - 美丽的国家". Sin Chew Daily. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Sabah must celebrate Independence Day on Aug 31: Jeffrey". Daily Express. 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Sabah must assert and celebrate Independence on 31 August". The Borneo Insider. 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  6. ^ Michael Kaung (27 August 2012). "Merdeka 'no relevance' to Sabah, Sarawak". Free Malaysia Today. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Sabah, Sarawak: 50 Years in Malaysia plagued by bad politics — Joe Fernadez". The Malay Mail. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  8. ^ A J Stockwell, ed. (2004). British Documents on the End of Empire, Series B Volume 8: Malaysia. The Stationery Office. p. lxxx. ISBN 9780112905813.
  9. ^ "Gazette August 31 as 'Sabah Day' – foundation". The Borneo Post. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Hari Sabah boleh menjadi realiti tahun depan". www.utusanborneo.com.my (in Malay). 3 July 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.

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