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Kota Kinabalu: People in the country especially the younger generation must always remember the contributions and roles played by past leaders that united the people from Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula as one country, Malaysia.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Christina Liew said, as for Sabah, two former Chief Ministers, namely Tun Fuad Stephens and Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, are among the many past leaders that must be remembered as the state moves forward to the new era with Malaysia.

"They were the leaders at that time who helped form Malaysia, they represented Sabah which was known as North Borneo at that time. Without them working, negotiating and forming with the people of Sarawak and Malaya, we would not have the Malaysia that we cherish today.

"So these two are the most important leaders that we cannot forget, we must always remember their efforts on behalf of Sabah to form Malaysia."We are part of Malaysia because of their efforts and contributions," she said when met by Bernama and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) here recently.

Liew said the younger generation especially in Sabah nowadays must know and understand the history behind the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.

"This is important. There must be a detailed chapter in our history books to let our younger generations know how we become a country," she said.

Meanwhile, Liew, who is also the state-level Malaysia Day organising committee chairman, said the state-level Malaysia Day celebration will be held at Padang Merdeka here on September 16, and 10,000 people are expected to come to commemorate the historical event.

"For this year's celebration, we are focusing on the concept Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan Penuhi Harapan which is the theme for this year. We want everybody to be united in what we do and move forward together as a united Malaysia," she said.

Liew said Sabah Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin is scheduled to grace the celebration with several events have been lined up, including a historical photo exhibition and fireworks.