KUCHING: For Bung Bratak Heritage Association (BBHA) chairman Datuk Peter Minos and members, Sarawak Day on Wednesday (July 22) was celebrated at their Bidayuh ancient ancestral home at Bung Bratak with the Sarawak flag flying proudly.
“Many trekked up to Bung Bratak on the morning of July 22 for their exercise and betterment of their lungs and heart. We gathered and gave special thoughts on Sarawak independence on that day.
“Flying the Sarawak flag and having some refreshments at the top of Bung Bratak, our minds went back to July 22, 1963 when the British colonialists left Sarawak,” he said in a statement.
Minos said from that day onwards, Sarawak was liberated and no longer under foreign domination.
“From that day, Sarawakians knew what it was to be free, determining their own future and destiny,” he said.
Colonialism was not just in the physical sense, but also the subjugation of the minds of those colonised, who looked up to the white colonials for everything and lost their own free-thinking and leadership of their own minds and lives, stressed Minos, who is also Samarahan Municipal Council chairman.
“Everything was in the hands of the colonisers. The colonised lost confidence and trust in their own abilities,” he said.
Therefore, Minos said that from July 22, 1963 onwards it was freedom in terms of the minds and physical aspects.
He expressed gratitude to all early Sarawakians, such as Rosli Dhobi, Rentap, and others, who had struggled and strove in getting Sarawak’s independence from colonial Britain, emphasising that such individuals must always be remembered and honoured.
