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Friday, July 31, 2015

The Scottish way of Sarawak

I was quite amazed by the strong passion of Sarawakians in celebrating the July 22 Independence Day.

Of course, the "Independence Day" celebration did not mean anything has happened to the current relationship between the state and Malaysia.

It all happened 52 years ago.

On July 22, 1963, Sarawak was independent from the British rule. The Union Jack was lowered and the Sarawak flag, a bicolor cross with a crown in the middle.

Sarawak was an independent entity for the following 55 days before it joined Malaysia to end its shortlived independence.

Of course, majority of Sarawakians supported the establishment of Malaysia according to a study by the Cobbold Commission.

For the next half a century, very few people were aware, or even bothered about the fact that Sarawak was indeed an independent nation between July 22 and September 15, 1963, until about three years ago when Independence Day celebrations began to be held.

And this year's celebrations were the biggest ever: on the state level, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri and chief minister led the celebration while on the grassroots level, NGO Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) managed to put together more than 5,000 people to parade the streets of Kuching with their bicolor-cross-and-crown banners fluttering in the wind.

Sure enough the celebrations, be it from the state government or the NGO, were not meant to bring back the fond memories of yesteryear. You can smell politics in the spirited crowds.

CM Adenan Satem proclaimed that Sarawak should have what was given to the Peninsula while the NGO called for a Sarawak for the Sarawakians.

Obviously some common understanding had been achieved between the state government and the NGO, or should I say the majority for Sarawakians?

July 22 celebrations were not meant to fight for independence for Sarawak, which is a highly sensitive question, but that does not mean the state should not fight for a higher degree of autonomy.

What took place in Kuching reminded me of the recent movement in Scotland, which was an independent state for much of the history until about 300 years ago when it became a part of the United Kingdom.

That said, the Scottish culture and traditions were incompatible to those of the English, who were way more dominant in the Union and across the Empire.

As a result, independence movements were on-going for the past three centuries, at times interspersed with armed conflicts and wars, only to subside when Scotland was granted a high degree of autonomy later following the decentralization of the central government.

Such movements have been revived in recent years, with calls for total independence.

The Scots voted to stay in the Kingdom in a 2014 referendum but that does not mean the Scottish passion had died down.

In the 2015 general elections, the Scottish National Party, a strong advocate of Scottish independence, swept 56 out of the 59 seats up for grabs in Scotland, almost flushing out the nationwide parties Labor and Conservative.

If we were to dissect the 2014 and 2015 outcomes, we should arrive at a conclusion: Most Scots are not quite ready for total independence but they are demanding a higher degree of autonomy from the central government.

Now back to Sarawak, "independence" is a topic of contention but at least at this stage it does not yet make a good option.

Sure enough the federal government will strongly oppose such a notion and will not sit quietly to watch it go by. Neither is it possible for a Scotland-style referendum to be held in Sarawak.

Even Sarawak itself is not adequately prepared for independence owing to factors such as economic readiness, national defense and diplomacy. Moreover not all the ethnic communities in the state think the same way.

But, a common understanding has basically taken shape among Sarawakians, that they want a higher degree of autonomy, including fairer chances for development.

As a farsighted politician, Adenan is well aware of what majority of his people want. If he is going against his people's wish, he will end up like the Labor or Conservative Party in Scotland.

Of course, with the federal government now plagued by a plethora of tacky problems, Adenan has the upper hand in haggling with Putrajaya for greater autonomy while securing the support of majority of Sarawakians.

What should the administrators in Putrajaya do in the face of the change in Sarawak? Perhaps they should take some cue from the UK.

The Conservative Party needs Scotland to form a stable government, and therefore has to concede to SNP's demands to keep Scotland in the Union.

Similarly, BN needs Sarawak more than it is needed, or should I say Najib needs Adenan more than he is needed. BN still has to give in so long as Sarawak is not breaking away.

By TAY TIAN YAN
Translated by DOMINIC LOH Sin Chew Daily

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