Japiril Suhaimin, age 52, an-ex officer of SUHAKAM and now an activist, said he was called to the police station at Kundasang in the afternoon of September 1, the day after the 52nd Sabah Day event. He co-operated with the police by turning up promptly at 5:30pm was kept at the station until 6:30pm.
"The police wanted to know why the people there were flying the 1963 Merdeka Sabah flag and why there were no Malaysia flags. I told the police that the 1963 Sabah Merdeka flag is our historical flag when Sabah achieved independence before Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963. And at that time, there was no Malaysia flag as it was not yet Malaysia Day."
"The police also asked about the Merdeka Walk. Actually, the Merdeka Walk has been going on for a few years from Ranau to Kundasang and Kota Marudu to Kundasang. And last year, some youths walked for four days from Ranau to Kota Kinabalu ending at Tanjong Aru," he said.
He added that the Merdeka Walk is to inject the spirit of Sabahans from various groups of our earlier generations who fought for Sabah independence from colonial rule.
The 52nd Sabah Day is organised by 23 NGOs with local political parties under the umbrella Gabungan or United Sabah Alliance attended by more than 1,000 people. Participants mostly wore black and the original Sabah flag made its reappearance.
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