Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Institute of Development Studies Chief Executive Officer Datuk Dr Ramzah Dambul said the Sabah Day celebrations can act as a platform to further unite the State’s multicultural society. “Sabah has always had good unity. We do not have problems with racial or religious differences,” Ramzah told the forum.
He noted, however, that when Sabah Day was first gazetted by the present GRS government, many people, including Sabahans, were cynical and questioned its necessity after 62 years of the motion being passed by the Legislative Council on Aug 8, 1963.
“Many people asked ‘what for?’ and ‘why do we need it after so many years?’” he said.
“Research shows that couples who celebrate their wedding anniversaries tend to have longer lasting relationship. This shows the binding power of commemorative dates.
“Thus, having a date that everybody can relate to can bind us together,” he said, referring to the Sabah Day Aug 31 date. He noted that while Sabahans already celebrate various festivals together such as Hari Raya, Christmas, Chinese New Year and Kaamatan, these celebrations carry specific cultural connotations that may not strike a chord with everyone.
Unlike other festivals, Sabah Day is for all Sabahans regardless of race, location or religion, creating a shared identity that cuts through individual differences.
“When we talk about Sabah Day, we proclaim this as the date when we were formed with an identity representing everyone.
“This momentum binds us together. It reminds us that we are all Sabahans.” He said Sabah Day could bring tourists to the State, just like how the Independence Day attracts visitors. But right now, the Sabah Day celebration does not have its own special character or identity.
“At the moment, Sabah Day does not have strong DNA. It has no clear identity. When people mention Kaamatan or Independence Day, others immediately have mental images and expectations. Sabah Day lacks this instant recognition.
“This is not necessarily a weakness since Sabah Day was only recently gazetted, but waiting for natural development would take too long.
“We cannot wait for it to develop naturally. If it comes naturally, we need to wait 10 years,” Ramzah said.
“We need to create a strong identity for Sabah Day before we can promote it to tourists.”He said Sabah Day also can contribute to Malaysia’s Madani community concept by showcasing the State’s civilisation and cultural heritage at the national level.
For instance, everyone can do their part in helping to promote Sabah’s culture by wearing their traditional clothes from Aug 15-Sept 16.
“I have my own dress code during this period because I want to promote Sabah Day’s identity, especially traditional clothing,” he said, noting the importance of headgear in traditional attire as a sign of higher civilisation, citing examples like China.
“Wearing traditional clothing shows a community has high civilisation, but headgear represents an even higher level,” he said.
He recounted two years ago, a TV station initially did not want him to wear his traditional headpiece during an interview because viewers might misunderstand its chained paddy stalk symbol.
“The TV station was worried about sensitivity, thinking the symbol looked like a crucifix. I told them we have been independent for many years and they still do not understand us,” he said, adding after he explained what it meant, they let him keep it on.
He said the people of Sabah need to tell their own stories instead of letting others do it. This includes getting more Sabah content into school textbooks.
“We need to claim our narrative within the national narrative. We have the right to put our story in the mainstream,” he said.
He noted that national curricula remain peninsula-centric.
“We need to produce a generation of Sabah writers who can create quality, research-based content.” “The problem is that Sabah often struggles to fit into national programmes that are designed for the whole of Malaysia. I think Sabah should have its own version that suits the State better,” he said.
He suggests celebrating Sabah Day on a different date from National Day (Aug 31) so it does not get lost in the shuffle.
“Most importantly, Sabah Day needs its own special activities that happen every year like how the Kaamatan festival has Unduk Ngadau contests and Sugandoi competitions that everyone recognises.
“Once we can create these yearly signature events, people will immediately think of them when Sabah Day is mentioned,” he said.
