Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin has urged the opposition, particularly Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), to cease confusing the people on the nation's independence date, in conjunction with National Day celebrations.

He said, although Sabah and Sarawak achieved independence six years after the Peninsular states, all states had agreed to a uniform celebration on national level.

"When it comes to a national event, we agreed to follow the federal government's decision.

"And on Sept 16, we can celebrate Sabah's independence. There is nothing wrong with that," he told reporters after launching the One Place Mall Education Fund in Putatan near Kota Kinabalu today.

Yahya was asked by reporters to comment on Sapp's action in distributing posters and flyers, which stated Sabah's 49th anniversary as an independent state from the British, instead of the nation's 55th anniversary in conjunction with the upcoming National Day celebration on Aug 31.

- Bernama