Sabah is Sabah, not Sarawak

FOR geographically-challenged Malaysians from the peninsula, I’m a Sarawakian even though I’ve told them before I’m a Sabahan. The opposite happens to my BFF, a Bidayuh from Sarawak. The geographically- challenged orang Malaya thinks she’s Sabahan.

Somehow, ignorant Malaysians think Sabah is Sarawak and Sarawak is Sabah. The graphic artist who mislabelled Sabah and Sarawak at the launch of a car manufacturer’s electric vehicle (EV) brand must have thought the same.

I blame the South China Sea, which separates Peninsular Malaysia and Bornean Malaysia. Also, the education system. Isn’t Malaysian geography taught at school?

But let me tell you why it does not happen to non-Sabahans and Sarawakians who are my friends. It is because they have gone on the ground. They have visited at least one of the two Malaysian territories and the Federal Territory of Labuan on the third-largest island in the world, Borneo.

If you had asked me last month where Cologne, Heidelberg or Frankfurt were, I probably wouldn’t know where exactly they were located in Germany. However, over the past 12 days, I was in these cities.

Yes, I had been to Germany before, but that was three or more decades ago. The only thing I remember about the trip was the Black Forest.

My point is if you go on the ground, you will get a geographical understanding that Malaysia is not just about Penang, Selangor, Johor, Pahang and Kelantan. And you’ll know how to design an accurate map of Malaysia.

There was a mistake in the graphic visuals during the car launch, in terms of size too. Other companies and even government departments have also made big mistakes. RTM, even, has made such a mistake for years.

In that graphic Sabah and Sarawak were drawn smaller than Peninsular Malaysia, giving the impression that the peninsula was bigger than the two Malaysian territories in Borneo.

Sarawak is the largest state in the country, with 124,450 sq km, while Sabah is second, with 73,620 sq km. The size of the whole of Peninsular Malaysia is 130,590 sq km.

To visualise it, Sarawak is slightly smaller than Peninsular Malaysia, while Sabah is almost half the size of the peninsula.

We have parliamentary constituencies that can fit several states in the peninsula. Take Keningau. It is about 3,533 sq km, equivalent to the combined size of Penang, Melaka, and Perlis.

Sabah and Sarawak are equivalent to the mainland of Malaysia in terms of size, if size matters. Combined, we are a big country.

But the Bornean states get little respect from clueless Malaysians across the South China Sea.

That’s geography. Now, we go on to history.

No, Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia. Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya formed the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Before Malaysia was formed, Peninsular Malayans were citizens of the Federation of Malaya.

Locals dressed in traditional costumes buying food at one of the many stalls that pop up during the Kaamatan festival in Sabah.— Filepic/The Star

That’s why it is disrespectful when some peninsula folk claim that Malaysia is theirs. We Sabahans and Sarawakians also own Malaysia.

Now, we move on to culture.

When Sabah and Sarawak helped form Malaysia, the states brought diversity into the country. Including the Bornean culture, which I feel is the best example of unity in diversity. Sabahans have a phrase for it: “Kita kita juga baini” (we are all one) and Sarawakians have the same meaning in their phrase, “Sama dirik pok”.

Sarawak brought with it the Bidayuh, Iban, Melanau, and Kelabit peoples, while Sabah brought the Kadazandusun, Murut, Bajau, Suluk and Brunei to Peninsular Malaysia’s Malay, Chinese, Indian, Punjabis and orang asli population.

Politically, the Bornean states are a force to be reckoned.

Sarawak has 31 MPs, Sabah 25, and Labuan one – 57 out of the total 222 MPs in Parliament.

When Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat won almost half of the Peninsular Malaysia parliamentary seats in the 2008 General Election, the Barisan parties in Sabah and Sarawak tipped the balance.

Arguably, without the support of the Sabahan and Sarawakian political parties, the current unity government could collapse. Gabungan Parti Sarawak has 23 MPs, while Gagasan Rakyat Sabah has six, and Parti Warisan three.

For those in Peninsular Malaysia who are clueless about Sabah and Sarawak’s geography, history, and culture, I would like them to visit the big country. The only problem is that the costs of flights can be prohibitive.

Some will argue that visiting neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Thailand is cheaper than flying to Borneo. And no, there is no train or bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching or Kota Kinabalu.

Please repeat: Sabah is in Sabah, and Sarawak is in Sarawak.