Hari Merdeka Celebration “Embarrassing” & Should Be Abolished Says Nazri Aziz

By Ahmad Hamizan  •  15 Dec 2021 in News

Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp

Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz said yesterday, 14 December, that we as a nation must move on from celebrating Hari Merdeka, and that it should have been abolished years ago.

The former three-time Federal Minister also said that we should only celebrate Hari Malaysia instead, as 16 September is when our country was actually formed.

“It is called the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, not the Federal Constitution of Malaya. How many years has it been since we formed Malaysia?” Nazri was quoted by New Straits Times.

“To me, this is very embarrassing. The Aug 31, 1957, Merdeka Day has no meaning to the Malaysian Federation… It’s okay to read the history in books but moving forward, we should want to celebrate Malaysia Day,” he continued.

Nazri pointed out that Merdeka Day was celebrated mostly on the peninsular, and that the people of Sabah and Sarawak only observe Hari Malaysia.

“Such a move can help erase the feeling of being different that is prevalent between the people in the peninsula and the two Borneo states,” he said as reported by Free Malaysia Today.

Nazri made the comments in Parliament during a debate of the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2021, which ratifies the Malaysian Agreement 1963 – relating to Sabah & Sarawak’s equal status in the federation.

According to The Edge, the bill was subsequently passed unanimously in the Dewan Rakyat, with 199 MPs voting in favour and none opposed, more than the two-thirds majority required.