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MALAYSIA
The country gained its independence from
the British after a series of negotiations
that were initiated by a committee of politi-
cal leaders. At the head of the delegation
was Tunku Abdul Rahman, who went
on to become our first Prime Minister.
The British had agreed to grant Malaya
independence on February 8, 1956, but
the official proclamation didn’t take place
until a year later – onAugust 31, 1957. This
year, Malaysia celebrates its 57th year as
an independent nation.
Merdeka Monument, Padang
Merdeka
The official ceremonies may have taken
place in Kuala Lumpur, but it was in
Melaka that the country first received
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STORY
Landmarks of Independence
August isasignificantmonthforMalaysia, Singaporeand Indonesiaasall threecountries
celebratetheirNationalDay.Wefollowthetrail ofhistorical landmarksthatwerefeatured
in their respective journeys to independence.
W o r d s :
V i v i a n C h o n g
its place while the national anthem,
Negaraku, played. Tunku Abdul Rahman
addressed the crowd after leading them in
chanting ‘Merdeka’ seven times.
A 100m tall flag pole, one of the world’s
tallest, has since been erected in the
same spot where the Jalur Gemilang was
first flown. Every Monday morning at
10am (unless it rains), you can watch a
15-minute flag-raising ceremony complete
with a marching band and DBKL (Kuala
Lumpur City Hall) officers on horseback.
Stadium Merdeka
Purpose-built for Merdeka, this iconic
stadium took nearly a year to construct,
withworks starting in September 1956 and
completed in time for the Proclamation of
Independence on the morning of August
the good news. On February 20, 1956,
busloads of patriotic Malayans arrived at
Melaka’s Padang Merdeka to hear Tunku
Abdul Rahman announce that the British
government had agreed to grant Malaya
independence. To mark that momentous
occasion, the Merdeka Monument – a
small pyramid covered in mosaic and
bearing the letter ‘M’ – was installed and
still stands in that spot.
Dataran Merdeka
On the eve of Merdeka in 1957, a handover
ceremony was held at the Royal Selangor
Club Padang in Kuala Lumpur (now
Dataran Merdeka) where, after observing
two minutes of darkness that ended at
midnight, the Union Jack was lowered.
The flag of Malaya was then raised in