KUCHING, July 20: Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) holds that the State crown flag is not a colonial flag.
Its president Lina Soo clarified that the crown flag was flown from July 1, 1946 to August 30, 1973, making it a total of 27 years that this flag had flown proudly over the land of Sarawak.
“When (Tan Sri) Datuk Stephen Ningkan was appointed Sarawak Chief Minister on 22nd July 1963 heralding the dawn of Sarawak administrative self-government, this was our national flag flown.
“For many Sarawakians, this very same flag has come to symbolise the Ningkan spirit of 22nd July, 1963 in Sarawak’s pursuit for a glorious and prosperous Sarawak,” said Soo in a press statement today.
She said Sarawakians who reject this 27-year-old flag are in fact rejecting 27 years of Sarawak’s existence and history.
“They are also in denial syndrome, in trying to blot out and erase Ningkan’s legacy as paramount Sarawak Chief from 22 July, 1963 to 23 September, 1966,” she said.
Soo believed that what led to the unconstitutional and unlawful removal of Ningkan as Sarawak Chief Minister is a crying shame and a black mark in Sarawak’s constitutional and political history.
“Sarawakians who want to deny this iconic flag are akin to selling out our Fairland Sarawak,” alleged Soo.
She wanted Sarawakians to enhance their awareness of the history of Sarawak and to invoke the spirit of Ningkan on 22 July this year by flying the 722 flag aka crown flag which can be purchased at 100% Discount Store.
Soo also reminded Sarawakians and the Sarawak government not to skew the gazetted Sarawak Independence Day to Sarawak Day as seen on some billboards.
“Sarawak Independence Day on 22 July is former CM (Chief Minister) Adenan Satem’s legacy cherished by the people. Tok Nan was a visionary and he was portending that one day soon Sarawak will have its independence and sovereignty fully restored, as it was for 100 years before WWII, hence the gazetting of 22 July as Sarawak Independence Day and none other,” said Soo.
She said the only way to legitimise this Sarawak aspiration for independence sovereignty is to go back to the people and facilitate a “Yes” or “No” vote in a referendum to choose our political, social and economic future.
“A political referendum is an act of free choice by the people of the people for the people,” she added.
Soo also urged the Sarawak government to award the posthumous title of Tun to former Chief Minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan.
“There is no merit, and and erroneous in saying that only a Sarawak governor can become a Tun,” she said, adding that Tun Jugah was also awarded the Tun title even though he did not become the governor.
“It is never too late”, said Soo and she urged the Sarawak government to bestow the Tun title posthumously to Ningkan.-DayakDaily
