Malaysia Day 1963

17 Sep 1963 Proclamation Ceremony Malaysia Day

I had the pleasure of visiting him personally on the morning of Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 10.40 – at the La Salle House at 15D, Jln Chantek, Kuala lumpur – to reminisce on the times he had spent with my father whilst he was the then Brother Director of SXI back in the old days.

There were songs that always brought back memories whenever he had the chance to listen to classic songs from…
…Anneke Gronloh
- Bengawan Solo
- Oh Malaysia
- Nina Bobo / Asmara Medley
- Amazing Grace

Once it became increasingly clear that the Communist threat posed during the Malayan Emergency was petering out, agreement was reached on February 8, 1956, for Malaya to gain independence from the British Empire. However, for a number of logistical and administrative reasons, it was decided that the official proclamation of independence would only be made the next year, on August 31, 1957, at Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), in Kuala Lumpur.

The formation of Malaysia
The Federation of Malaysia, comprising the States of Malaya, North Borneo (later renamed Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore was to be officially declared on the date August 31, 1963, on the 6th anniversary of Malayan independence. However, it was postponed to September 16, 1963, mainly due to Indonesian and the Philippines’ opposition to the formation of Malaysia.

Nevertheless, North Borneo and Singapore declared sovereignty on August 31, 1963. Indonesian opposition later escalated to a military conflict. Indonesia considered Malaysia as a new form of colonization on the provinces of Sarawak and Sabah in the island of Borneo (bordering Kalimantan, Indonesia), which they laid claim on. To assure Indonesia that Malaysia was not a form of neo-colonialism, a referendum, organized by the United Nations, and the Cobbold Commission, led by Lord Cobbold, were formed to determine whether the people of Sabah and Sarawak wished to join Malaysia. Their eventual findings which indicated substantial support for Malaysia among the peoples of Sabah and Sarawak, cleared the way for the final proclamation of Malaysia. The formation of the Federation of Malaysia was then announced on September 16, 1963 as Malaysia Day. The Independence Day celebration is still held on August 31, the original independence date of Malaya.

Click this link to view videos on 31 Aug 57, Proclamation Of Malaya Independence.

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And NOW, after close to two years, it is time to close the Gallery. And so, with effect from 1st June 2009, I declare the Gallery to be closed. However, his legacy lives on, in this blog that I have set up.

Many thanks to all those who have helped out in the setting up and the running of the Gallery all this time.

Penang’s Statesman : First Chief Minister, Old Xaverian Scouter
1957 – 1969

This blog is purely a personal assignment to keep in memory and bring back his name to Penang. It is meant to be non-political, nor non-commercial in any sense. Over the years my father has kept a huge collection of photos, many that would be historical. As the saying, a picture paints a thousand words.

His collection shows historically how time has evolved since the first proclamation of our nation’s Independence till today. It is gratifying tolearn of the vast contributions he has made to the state of Penang and the nation. It literally sums up contributions of his patriotic past, for the young and the old to see, and that is exactly what the purpose of setting up the personal gallery of Tan Sri (Dato’) Datuk Wong Pow Nee hopes to achieve.

The young leaders of the nation today have still a lot to learn from the old leaders of the past, the spirit of togetherness and oneness for people of various races, religion, and country can live together in peace, unity, understanding between one another and harmony, and the political struggle for Independence, progress and growth of the nation. The younger generation has much to learn of the older generation of leaders who have sacrificed their lives to see a nation of future growth and prosperity, one of racial tolerance where all the races can live together in a spirit of understanding and harmony, inculcate qualities and traits of good citizenship amongst the youth and, loyalty to God and to the King and the will to help others at all times indeed make the strongest possible basis for good citizenship and for the help in building a nation.

The School, St. Xavier’s can be proud of Old Xaverian, the late Tan Sri (Dato’) Michael Wong Pow Nee (TSWPN), First Chief Minister, Penang, who was privileged to read the Proclamation of Independence on 31st August 1957, at the Independence Ceremonies on the Esplanade.

In his own words, TSWPN said, “ Whatever I am today, I owe it to those happy days I spent in school, when the foundation of my future life was laid. I ask each and every student in this School to make the fullest use of his school career in order that he might become a useful citizen of this country. It has often been said that ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Although great attention should be paid to your academic work in school, no less attention should be paid to full participation in extra-curricular activities. It is now that you should develop a sense of civic consciousness, a spirit of adventure and a zest for life.”

He said that as Old Xaverians, we were fortunate to be pupils of this venerable Institution with a long and distinguished history stretching back over 100 years. It was for us to uphold the traditions which had been established in this School, always remembering that they were in our hands to preserve, and it had to be to improve, or allowed to decay.

It was up to us that we look for future leaders who are educated in the best sense of the word, not merely weighed down with a vast amount of academic knowledge of no value to themselves or others, but also capable of bringing a clear-sighted and intelligent approach to life’s problems, of making just decisions based on available data, of approaching people sympathetically and in a friendly fashion, of integrity, honesty and uprightness in their own personal lives.