Sarawak Day

Sarawak Day
Official nameSarawak Independence Day
Observed bySarawak
TypeStatewide in Sarawak
SignificanceMarks the de facto self-government of Sarawak from Britain
Date22 July
Next time22 July 2025 (2025-07-22)
FrequencyAnnual
The flag of the Raj of Sarawak used as the first flag of Sarawak after achieving de facto self-government on 22 July 1963.

Sarawak Day (Malay: Hari Sarawak), officially known as Sarawak Independence Day (Malay: Hari Kemerdekaan Sarawak)[1] is a holiday celebrated on 22 July annually by Sarawak, celebrating the establishment of de facto self-government on 22 July 1963.[2][3][4][5][6]

The official Sarawak Independence Day public holiday was gazetted by the government of Sarawak in 2016[7][8][9] to raise awareness about Sarawak's past and contributions of its past leaders. Despite this official name, there are those who still avoided using this title, calling it the informal “Sarawak Day” instead, due to lack of awareness of its legality (“Sarawak Independence Day” is in fact the official government gazetted name),[8] while some still argue about its historical accuracy, citing British legislation did not provide for an official, full independence.[10] Nonetheless, there was indeed a degree of de facto independence in the form of self-government ahead of it taking part in the founding[11] of a new federation in the form of Malaysia with other partners.

The idea of a Sarawakian holiday was mooted by the Sarawak state government and citizens since 2012, after public discontent about the public holiday Hari Merdeka being too Malaya-centric.[12][13][14] The day was officially named Sarawak Independence Day and declared as a public holiday for the first time in 2016.[15] Although there have been persistent attempts to falsify the historical record for political purposes, it is incontrovertible that Sarawak as a British crown colony achieved independence on 16 September 1963 as a member state of the Malaysian Federation under the Malaysia legislation passed by the sovereign United Kingdom and Malayan Parliaments in July 1963.[16]

  1. ^ Declarations of independence by Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore. The National Archives. 1963.
  2. ^ "The National Archives DO 169/254 (Constitutional issues in respect of North Borneo and Sarawak on joining the federation)". The National Archives. 1961–1963. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. ^ Vernon L. Porritt (1997). British Colonial Rule in Sarawak, 1946-1963. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-983-56-0009-8.
  4. ^ Philip Mathews (28 February 2014). Chronicle of Malaysia: Fifty Years of Headline News, 1963-2013. Editions Didier Millet. pp. 15–. ISBN 978-967-10617-4-9.
  5. ^ Murray Hunter (27 July 2013). "Sarawak's "Independence Day"". New Mandala. Australian National University. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Goh Pei Pei (26 May 2016). "Public holiday for Sarawak on July 22". New Straits Times. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  8. ^ a b "July 22 is 'Sarawak Independence Day'". The Star. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  9. ^ "It's official, July 22 public holiday in Sarawak". The Borneo Post. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  10. ^ A J Stockwell, ed. (2004). British Documents on the End of Empire, Series B Volume 8: Malaysia. The Stationery Office. p. lxxx. ISBN 9780112905813.
  11. ^ Despite commonly phrased, the notion that Sarawak "joined Malaysia" on 16 Sept 1963 is factually incorrect, as the Federation of Malaysia was not an existing entity until its four founding nations (North Borneo, Singapore, Sarawak and the Federation of Malaya) brought it into being.
  12. ^ "Numerous Events Organised For Sarawak Independence Celebration". Sarawak Chief Minister Department. Bernama. 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  13. ^ Michael Kaung (27 August 2012). "Merdeka 'no relevance' to Sabah, Sarawak". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Sabah, Sarawak: 50 Years in Malaysia plagued by bad politics — Joe Fernadez". Malay Mail. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  15. ^ "Sarawakians celebrate Sarawak Day for the first time today". The Borneo Post. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  16. ^ Malaysia Act 1963 (c.35); Federation of Malaysia Act 1963 (no.26)