United Malays National Organisation
The Philippines and Indonesia strenuously objected to this development, with Indonesia claiming Malaysia represented a form of neocolonialism and the Philippines claiming Sabah as its territory. The United Nations sent a commission to the region which approved the merger after having delayed the date of Malaysia's formation to investigate. Despite further protests from the Indonesian President, Sukarno, the formation of Malaysia was proclaimed on 16 September 1963. Indonesia then declared a "confrontation" with Malaysia, sending commandos to perform guerilla attacks in East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). The confrontation was ended when a military coup replaced Sukarno with Suharto. The Philippines, which had withdrawn diplomatic recognition from Malaysia, also recognised Malaysia around the same time.
Sedomon Gunsanad Kina
On 16 September 1963, the birth of a new nation within the South East Asian region, known as Malaysia, was marked. Subsequently, both Sodomon and his brother Sundang, were invited to the peninsula to see the success and effectiveness of the Alliance administration. This administration worked based on the concept of power sharing, and was led by the Malay majority party UMNO, together with the Chinese and Indians in the MCA and MIC, respectively. Their visit convinced the Sabahan leaders that the Malays did not control everything.