About: Sarawak Independence Day

Sarawak Independence Day or Sarawak Day is the official independence day celebrated on 22 July annually by Sarawak, celebrating the establishment of de facto self-government and independence on 22 July 1963. The official Sarawak Independence Day public holiday was gazetted by the government of Sarawak in 2016 to raise awareness about Sarawak's past and contributions of its past leaders. Despite this official name, there are those who still avoided using this title, due to lack of awareness of its legality, while some still argue about its historical accuracy, citing British legislation did not provide for an official, full independence. Nonetheless, there was indeed a degree of de facto independence in the form of self-government ahead of it taking part in the founding of a new federation in the form of Malaysia with other partners.