KOTA KINABALU, Sept 16 — Nationalism and patriotism in Sabah was on show at the scaled-down Malaysia Day celebration here, despite recent talks of secession in Sabah.
A crowd of some 5,000 including the participants of the parade showed up with nationalistic spirit, many waving flags of Sabah and Malaysia with vigour, singing and cheering along to older patriotic songs.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said it was very heartening to witness the public, and especially the younger generation of Sabahans showing their love for the state by supporting the event.
“People have this perception that the younger generation are not into such things, so it was a very nice surprise and reassuring to see them singing along with enthusiasm. It shows us that nationalism here is still very much alive,” said Masidi when speaking to the Malay Mail Online after attending the modest celebration held at the Likas Sports Complex multipurpose hall here.
The event, organised by the Sabah Youth and Sports Ministry, saw a total of 1,456 members of 26 uniformed youth organisations participate in the parade.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup also said that patriotism among Sabahans are still very strong because they were still united, and on this meaningful day in particular.
“The Malaysia Day celebration is to remind each and every one of us to renew our patriotism and to further strengthen our unity which is essential to achieving our dreams of becoming a developed nation.
“The people talking about secession are small in numbers. We appeal to them to come forward with their dissatisfaction so we can find solutions,” he told the Malay Mail Online.
A group who call themselves Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia, with a Facebook following of over 9,000 people has been the talk of the town since a police report was lodged against them, propagating discourse on upholding rights and secession.
Recent posts from its administrator dubbed today “Black 16 September”, for its unequal standing in the Federal of Malaysia and calling on supporters to wear black.
