By Amin Ridzuan Ishak
THE Merdeka Square (Padang Merdeka) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, marks the historic event of September 16, 1963, when the late Chief Minister Donald Stephens declared the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
But for Sabahan George Laim Jusit, the place holds special meaning as it was there that he witnessed his late father, Sargeant Jusit Rantai, raise the Malaysian flag on that momentous day.
Each time George Laim passes by the historical site, he is filled with pride recalling the moment when Jusit became the first person to replace the Union Jack with the Malaysian flag, now known as the Jalur Gemilang, and in so doing, marking the birth of a nation free from the clutches of colonialism.
The 1963 event left such an imprint on Jusit that after his retirement in 1976, he continued the flag-raising tradition with his family at their home in Sook, Keningau.
Although Jusit passed away in 2010, George Laim said the tradition is kept alive by his family as they are proud of their father’s sense of duty and patriotism. Jusit’s raising of the flag may seem like a small act to some but it symbolises the hopes of a new nation and marks the start of a new chapter in Malaysia’s history.
Safety at risk
Going back in time, George Laim, who was 11 at the time, said that he had feared for his father’s safety that day due to tensions with Indonesia over the formation of Malaysia. “Bapa (father) had advised Ibu (mother, Norah Siambing) to look after the children in case anything were to happen to him. He said he had received information that the enemy would target the person responsible for raising the Malaysian flag at the event.
“Though he was worried, it did not break his spirits and he continued with what was entrusted to him,” said George Laim to SelangorKini.
Now aged 70, George Laim described the moment — which was also observed by the then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussin, former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Donald Stephen and Sabah’s founding father Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun — as thrilling.
His father donned a white military coat paired with a red headgear and sash, as seen in the photo above, during the event.
Although he was only able to witness his father pulling the rope on the flagpole from afar, George Laim prayed that no harm would befall Jusit, who was 33 at the time.
The moment the Malaysian flag reached the top of the flagpole, George Laim was flooded with a sense of relief. “I was grateful that nothing bad had happened and Bapa was able to execute his duties smoothly,” he said.
Chosen few
Courageous and brave were said to be the qualities that got Jusit shortlisted with 99 other police personnel for taking part in the event, said George Laim in reminiscing the selection process.
He said his father was selected for being brave enough to speak his mind about the need for the British to hand over North Borneo (Sabah) to the local people.
George Laim said although the task of raising the flag seems like an easy one, his father did not take it lightly.
“He practised for over a month. When he was done at the station, he would come back and continue practising at home because he wanted to make sure everything went as planned.”
A part of history
Jusit’s role in the formation of Malaysia went beyond hoisting the national flag.
George Laim said that his father, who was a police officer of Murut ethnicity, had also helped to gather feedback from the rural villagers in Keningau on whether they, together with the people of North Borneo, supported the proposal to create a Federation of Malaysia.
The survey, now famously known as the Cobbold Commission, suggested a nation that would consist of Malaya, Brunei, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak. Jusit’s English-language education from
St Mary School in Sandakan made him eloquent in the language. Importantly, he was also the adopted son of Agnes Newton Keith, an American writer known for her three autobiographical accounts of life in North Borneo before, during, and after World War II.
“Bapa had explained to those in the rural villages about the formation of Malaysia in the Murut language so that they would understand better,” said George Laim.
Today, Malaysia Day is proudly celebrated on September 16 each year to commemorate the coming together of Malaya, North Borneo (which was renamed Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore into a single state on that pivotal day in 1963.
Singapore, however, would be expelled from the federation just less than two years later, on August 9 in 1965.
