Rahezzal Shah Abd Karim of Sabah UiTM said picking which one was more important was like asking whether one loved one’s mother or father.

“I think we have to acknowledge that both events are significant in the history of Malaysia. And for that reason, in the spirit of solidarity and for the sake of nation building, both events should be celebrated by all Malaysians.

“The Aug 31 independence for Tanah Melayu is a sacred event in the history of Tanah Melayu, so logically our brothers and sisters over at the peninsula have a strong attachment towards that event as it signifies the beginning of a new nation, finally free after centuries in the hands of colonial powers.

“As for Sept 16, it not only signifies the birth of a federation but, most importantly, it is also about independence for Sabahans and Sarawakians. Hence, they have strong and deep feelings towards Malaysia Day,” he told FMT.

Rahezzal said Malaysia Day had lost it significance over the years because it was never officially and properly celebrated as Malaysia Day.

“Instead, Sept 16 was downgraded and declared as the TYT’s (Sabah governor’s) birthday until 2010 when (former prime minister) Najib Razak declared it as a public holiday,” he said.

He noted that some quarters had questioned the motive for the recognition then, as the Barisan Nasional had just lost its two-third majority in the 2008 general election.

The feeling among the people, he said, was that had BN performed well in 2008, there was the likelihood that the federal government would not have focused much on Sabah.

“If its wasn’t for Sabah and Sarawak, they (BN) could have lost the election. Therefore, knowing how Sabah and Sarawak held big numbers of parliamentary seats for BN, the federal government started paying more attention to Sabah and Sarawak.

“Whether the reinstatement of Malaysia Day then was due to political considerations or because the federal government sincerely wanted to acknowledge Malaysia Day is something that we can ponder over.

“But now moving forward, if Sabahans and Sarawakians want our brothers and sisters in Penisular Malaysia to celebrate Malaysia Day, then we as Malaysians must also celebrate Aug 31 as it means a lot to them, just as Sept 16 means a lot to us,” he said.