I refer to the Malaysiakini report Malaysia Day bash to kick off in Kuching tomorrow .

I welcome the recognition by the federal and state governments of Sept 16 as Malaysia Day and not Aug 31.

However, celebrating Malaysia Day on Oct 10 is rather incongruous as this date coincides with the National Day of China (Taipei), and is thus misleading. Malaysia Day on Sept 16 should in future be celebrated on Sept 16 itself.

I stated before that the restoration of true history is in recognition of the role of Sarawak in the formation of Malaysia and is essential to upholding the fundamental rights of Sarawak in the federation.

I would like to reiterate the following points which I call on the BN government to acknowledge without ambivalence:

1. That Malaysia was formed on Sept 16, 1963 and not Aug 31, 1957. There is but one Merdeka Day for ‘1Malaysia’, not two.

2. Sept 16 should rightly be the National Day of Malaysia. There was no Malaysia before Sept 16 1963.

3. Sarawak did not join Malaysia, but formed Malaysia together with Sabah, Singapore and the Federation of Malaya.

4. This year 2009 marks the 46th anniversary of Malaysian independence, and not 52nd anniversary.

5. After 46 years of the formation of Malaysia, Sarawak lags enormously behind Peninsular Malaysia in every sphere of development.

I also declared before that the government must lead the people, especially the younger generation, to remember true history and certainly not to mislead the people of Sarawak and also Malaysians nationwide.

Any self-deprecating distortion of history undermines the honour of Sarawak and the self-respect of Sarawak Malaysians.

The history of the formation of Malaysia, erroneously promoted, may well underlie the progressive erosion of the rightful position of Sarawak in Malaysia, especially the inequitable distribution of national resources and the backwardness of Sarawak.’

Upholding true history is a fundamental act of loyalty to the nation, the basis of civilisational progress and a buttress for the future generations.

I am honoured and privileged, in the name of PKR, and consistent with its patriotic struggle for a New Merdeka, to have led the annual Malaysia Day flag-raising ceremony at the Merdeka Padang at Kuching on Sept 16 since 2005. The government has finally recognised the truth of Sept 16.

On Sept 16, 1963, the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, read out the proclamation of the formation of Malaysia; and on the same date at Central Padang in Kuching the first chief minister, Stephen Kalong Ningkan, also proclaimed the independence of Sarawak within Malaysia.

Sept 16 is the day all Malaysians should celebrate. For the people of Sabah and Sarawak, Aug 31 has far less significance as it was the date of the independence of the Federation of Malaya, of which the two states (Sabah and Sarawak) had no part in at that time.

Thus One Nation, One National Day for all, and on Sept 16 it has to be.

The writer is state assembly person for Padungan.