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A group calling for Sabah and Sarawak independence displayed the Jalur Gemilang upside down outside the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne on 24 October.

Malay Mail reported the demonstration was staged by the Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia (SSKM) Australia organisation. It was held in conjunction with United Nations Day.

Mosses PA Ampang delivered the closing remarks. A Facebook post of the speech has drawn 9,900 views and 105 reactions.

He said the group deliberately flew the Malaysian flag upside down to send a message to the Malaysian government that “political pressure” had gone far enough.

He said the message was delivered abroad so the world could see Malaysia was “oppressing” the peoples of Sabah and Sarawak.

Mosses PA Ampang, also known as Mosses Paul Anap, is president of the Republic of Sabah North Borneo (RSNB). A Sabah-Sarawak independence advocacy website describes RSNB as an NGO registered in Victoria, Australia.

The post of his speech tagged the “Republic of Sabah North Borneo Government in Exile”. RSNB proclaimed the government-in-exile in Melbourne on 16 September 2025, as “the legitimate representative of the people of Sabah”.

“I Am Tired Of Living In Fear”

Mosses, who spoke in Sabah Malay, said Sabahans were afraid to speak out at home and still feared repercussions overseas.

He said Australia protects freedom of speech.

“I am tired of living in fear, very tired,” he said.

He accused the government of trying to distract Sabahans with the 3R issues (race, religion and royalty), so it would have a justification to take legal action against them.

“You can keep lying once, twice, three times. But when the people rise, don’t act surprised,” he said.

He said the group would not use violence, and would act peacefully, in a civilised way and within the law, until Sabah achieves independence.

The speech ended with independence slogans.

Minister Urges Police Reports

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the upside-down flag display risked damaging the reputation of Malaysians studying and working in Australia.

He urged the public to lodge police reports so the social media content could be investigated under relevant laws.

Photos and videos of the protest were shared on the Facebook page Sabah Sarawak Keluar Malaysia SKMM. They showed people holding Sabah and Sarawak flags and posters describing Malaya as colonisers, alongside images of the Jalur Gemilang torn or upside down.

Some Malaysian social media users called the demonstration embarrassing, and urged that issues concerning the rights of Sabah and Sarawak be resolved through proper channels.

Earlier Melbourne Protests

On 16 September 2024, a video showed the Malaysian flag being lowered and replaced with the Sabah and Sarawak flags outside Parliament House in Melbourne.

South China Morning Post quoted him at that event saying the formation of Malaysia was a political manoeuvre carried out through force and deception, without the consent of Borneo’s people.

Police opened an investigation under the Sedition Act 1948 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. They had received 35 reports, 34 of them in Sabah and one in Kuala Lumpur.

RSNB and Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ) rejected the sedition allegations in a joint statement signed by Mosses and SSRANZ president Robert Pei. They said the flag-raising was not an incitement to violence or sedition, but a symbol of the continued marginalisation of Sabah and Sarawak.

On 30 March 2025, Mosses addressed another demonstration at the State Library Victoria, where he laid out a 10-year peaceful roadmap to independence. RSNB and SSRANZ organised a Sabah Sarawak independence conference in Melbourne on 13 Sept 2025, attended by about 50 Sabahans.

READ MORE: East Malaysia NGOs: Respect Our Religious Freedom Or We’ll Seek Independence

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