Sabah state secretary Safar Untong announced that the proclamation was gazetted on June 5 and published on June 20 on the instruction of Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Juhar Mahiruddin.
Sabah, then known as British North Borneo, was granted self-government on Aug 31, 1963, which the state regards as its day of independence. The state became part of Malaysia, with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore, on Sept 16 that year.
Aug 31, which is also Malaya’s independence day, was to be the date of Malaysia’s formation, but was delayed by the need for a referendum conducted by the United Nations.
In 2016, Sarawak gazetted July 22 as Sarawak Day and its day of independence, making it a state holiday.
There have been calls in the past for Sabah to designate August 31 as Sabah Day, with Johan Arriffin Samad, the former CEO of Sabah’s Institute for Development Studies, stating that it would be a mark of the state’s autonomy.
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