KUCHING: The organiser of a walk to commemorate the anniversary of Sarawak’s independence today said the event will proceed in Kuching despite police advice to cancel it over concerns that the march would be used to call for the state’s secession from Malaysia.

Peter John Jaban, the organising chairman of the 722 Sarawak Freedom and Independence Day Walk, dismissed as “rubbish” the claim by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar that the event would be used to whip up sentiments to push for Sarawak’s secession.

He said the organisers had met the police “many times” over the walk, to be held at the Song Kheng Hai rugby ground in Padungan, and had given assurance that it would not be a political event.

“We totally deny those claims (of calling for secession).

“We have met the police many times on this and we had given our assurance that this gathering would not be a political event, except maybe to ask Putrajaya to give us what is rightfully Sarawak’s, like the oil and gas royalty and reinstate English as medium of instruction in Sarawak schools,” Jaban said in response to Khalid’s warning earlier yesterday.

“We deny that there is such an attempt to hijack the gathering to whip up Sarawak’s secession.”

He said the organisers had taken steps to prevent the gathering from turning political, and were aware of the possibility of “outsiders trying to cause trouble”.

Jaban said participants have been advised that if they encountered people who behaved provocatively, they were to immediate link arms with their friends and sit down to expose those making trouble.

He said that police would be present and also some 100 Rela  personnel to facilitate the walk.

“I’ve already said participants from political parties can participate, but without any party symbol or logo and no shouting of political slogans.”

He said claims of secession calls looked more like attempts at stopping the civil society groups behind the walk.

These groups were the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association and Sarawak for Sarawakians.

An official ceremony by the state government will also be held at the parade grounds of the Sarawak legislative assembly in Petra Jaya today, with governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud and Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem attending. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on July 22, 2015.