Asia-Pacific News

Oct 19, 2009, 8:34 GMT

Malaysia announces public holiday to mark Borneo's statehood

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Monday that an annual public holiday would be established to mark the day that two states on Borneo island became a part of the country. Najib said beginning next year, September 16 would be a national holiday to commemorate the day the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak joined 11 states on the Malayan peninsula to form Malaysia back in 1963. 'We want the joy and sorrows of the people in Sabah and Sarawak to be felt by the people in the peninsula,' Najib said in parliament. Malaysia currently celebrates August 31 as the day it gained independence from British rulers in 1957. Lobbying groups have been calling for years for the government to also declare September 16 as an annual holiday, in recognition of the two states in Borneo as equal and contributing members in the nation of 27 million people. Najib's announcement came as part of the government's ramped-up efforts to gain back public support after it suffered damaging losses during last year's general elections. The two states in Borneo are largely made up of tribal ethnic communities, many of which live in remote villages devoid of basic infrastructure like water supply, electricity and access roads. The opposition alliance, led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, has argued that the ruling government has discriminated against and neglected the ethnic groups in the two states.

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