Come 2007, Malaysia will celebrate 50 years of independence. The month of August will be filled with a myriad of parades, cultural performances, street shows and carnivals to commemorate the country's Independence or Merdeka Day on 31st August.
It was on 31st August 1957 when history was made as the Union Jack was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted, with the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj leading the people in the famous shouts of Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! (Independence!)
For more than 30 years, Merdeka Day celebrations have been marked by parades involving uniformed personnel, corporate players, school children, cultural dancers, athletes and Malaysians from all walks of life. However, in recent years, the event has grown into a much anticipated and exciting month-long celebration nationwide.
This forthcoming Golden Jubilee celebration marks a significant milestone in the history of the nation. Join the enthusiastic crowd at the Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur on the eve of Merdeka Day for the countdown to this momentous event. Another highlight of the year will be the Citrawarna or Colours and Flavours of Malaysia parade, an annual event showcasing the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the country. This will be the grandest celebration for this event yet.
Malaysia invites all visitors to share in the joy and excitement of this momentous occasion. Come and be mesmerised by a unique multicultural populace celebrating 50 years of nationhood in harmony and peaceful co-existance. You will truly be fascinated.
Quick Facts:
After independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federation of Malaya and continued to be the capital of the renamed Federation of Malaysia in 1963. For the occasion of independence, A large stadium, Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), was built, where Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, declared Malaya's independence in front of a massive crowd.
The Union Jack was lowered from the flagpole at the Padang (now known as Dataran Merdeka; Independence Square) and the Malayan flag was raised. The Padang symbolized British sovereignty as it was a cricket ground for the colonial administrators and fronted the Royal Selangor Club, Malaya's most exclusive Whites-Only club.
In 1974 Kuala Lumpur seceded from Selangor and the city became a Federal Territory (Wilayah Persekutuan).In History :
| Prime Minister |
 1st Prime Minister - Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj 2nd Prime Minister - Tun Abdul Razak Bin Dato' Hussein 3rd Prime Minister - Tun Hussein Bin Dato' Onn 4th Prime Minister - Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad 5th Prime Minister - Y.A.B. Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi |
 1st PRIME MINISTERThe Late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj 31 August 1957 - 21 September 1970 Tunku Abdul Rahman has always been a revered Malaysian leader who had made immense contributions to the country. For his sacrifices in bringing Malaysia from colonialism to Independence, it is self-explanatory why Tunku Abdul Rahman is known as the Father of Independence. He became the first prime minister of the Federation of Malaya from 1957 to1963, and of Malaysia from 1963 to 1970. Tunku was born on February 8, 1903 in Alor Setar, the capital of the State of Kedah. He is the seventh prince of Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah, the 24th Sultan of Kedah, and Che Manjalara. Tunku received his early education at the Debsurin School, Bangkok and Penang Free School. On a Kedah Government scholarship, he went on to study at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in law and history in 1925. His leadership skills also unveiled in England. Realising the Malay students there were not represented by any organisation, he established the Kesatuan Melayu Great Britain (Malay Association of Great Britain) and became its first secretary. After returning home, he joined the Kedah Civil Service as a cadet in the Legal Advisor's Office, and then as a district officer in several Kedah districts. During his early working days, he was rather unpopular among some British officials due to his frankness and tendency to introduce reforms in his quest to improve the living standards of the locals. In 1938, due the outbreak of the Second World War, his attempt at completing his law studies at the Inner Temple in England came to a halt. He resumed his studies eight years later and came home with his legal qualifications in 1949. Soon after his return, he was made chairman of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). On August 26, 1951, Tunku became the UMNO President succeeding Dato' Onn Jaafar. He travelled all over the country meeting people from all walks of life to promote unity. His efforts in overcoming the country's political problems by way of cooperation among the various ethnic groups saw the birth of the Alliance Party in 1955. Under his leadership, the Alliance won the country's first general election in July 1955. Tunku was then appointed the country's Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. In 1956, he led a mission to London for a discussion with the British government concerning the Independence for Malaya. The meeting resulted in the signing of the Independence Treaty at Lancaster House in London on February 8, 1956 and consequently, the Independence of Malaya in August 31, 1957. Tunku was then elected as the first Prime Minister of Malaya, and led the Alliance to victory in the 1959, 1964 and 1969 general elections. On Sept 22, 1970, Tunku stepped down as the Prime Minister and was succeeded by Tun Abdul Razak. During his lifetime, Tunku was blessed with seven children from his marriage to the late Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah. Tunku passed away in 1990. |
2nd PRIME MINISTER The Late Tun Abdul Razak Bin Dato' Hussein 22 September 1970 - 13 January 1976 >From 1970 to 1976, Tun Abdul Razak became the second Prime Minister of Malaysia as the successor to Tunku Abdul Rahman. Born in Pulau Keladi, Pahang on March 11, 1922, Tun Razak is the only child to Dato' Hussein bin Mohd Taib and Hajah Teh Fatimah bt Daud. Tun Razak received his early education at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar in 1934. After joining the Malay Administrative Service in 1939, he was awarded a scholarship to study at Raffles College in Singapore in 1940. His studies at the college ceased at the advent of the Second World War. Tun Razak left for Britain in 1947 to study law upon receiving a Malayan Union scholarship. In 1950, he received a Degree of an Utter Barrister from Lincoln's Inn. During his student days in England, Tun Razak was a member of the British Labour Party and a prominent student leader of the Kesatuan Melayu Great Britain (Malay Association of Great Britain). He also formed the Malayan Forum, an organisation for Malayan students to discuss political issues pertaining to their native land. Upon his return, Tun Razak joined the Malayan Civil Service. Owing to his political calibre, in 1950 he became the youth chief for United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Two years later, he worked as the Assistant State Secretary of Pahang and in February 1955 at the age of 33, he became Pahang's Chief Minister. He conteseted in the country's first general elections in July 1955 and won. Soon after, he was appointed as the Education Minister. Tun Razak was also a member of the February 1956 mission to London to seek the Independence of Malaya from the British. After the general elections in 1959, he became the Minister of Rural Development. Simultaneously, he also held the portfolios of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. His achievements include formulating the development policy known as the Red Book. In September 1970, Tun Razak succeeded Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. In 1971, Tun Razak initiated the initiation the New Economic Policy (NEP). He and the "second generation" of Malay politicians identified the need to deal vigorously with the economic and social disparities which fuelled racial antagonism in 1969. The NEP affirmed two basics goals - to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty, and to reduce and eventually eradicate identification of economic function with race. For his contributions in the area of national and rural development, Tun Abdul Razak is dearly known as the Father of Development. |
 3rd PRIME MINISTERThe Late Tun Hussein Bin Dato' Onn 14 January 1976 - 15 July 1981
He received his early education in Singapore and at the English College in Johor Bahru. After leaving school, he joined the Johor Military Forces as a cadet in 1940 and was sent a year later to the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun, India. Upon completion of his training, he was absorbed into the Indian Army and served in the Middle East when the Second World War broke. After the war, his vast experience prompted the British to employ him as an instructor at the Malayan Police Recruiting and Training Centre in Rawalpindi. Tun Hussein returned to Malaysia in 1945 and was appointed Commandant of the Johor Bahru Police Depot. The following year he joined the Malaya Civil Service as an assistant administrative officer in Segamat, Johor and subsequently served in Klang and Kuala Selangor as a district officer. Came from a family with deep nationalistic spirit and political roots, Tun Hussein resigned from the civil service to join politics where he experienced a meteoric rise in his career. In 1949, he became the first youth chief of UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), a party his father helped established. In 1950, he was elected the UMNO secretary general. Tun Hussein however left UMNO in 1951 to join his father in forming the Independence of Malaya Party (IMP). When support for IMP seemed unfavourable, Tun Hussein went to London to study law at Lincoln's Inn, qualifying as a Barrister-at-Law. He came back as a certified lawyer and practised in Kuala Lumpur. Tun Hussein returned to politics in 1968 after being persuaded by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak to rejoin UMNO. He stood in and won the general elections in 1969 and was then appointed as the education minister. On August 13, 1973, he succeeded the late Tun Dr Ismail as the Deputy Prime Minister. On January 15, 1976, he was officially appointed as the prime minister of Malaysia. Tun Hussein was married to Toh Puan Suhaila Tan Sri Haji Mohd Noah. Due to helath reasons, Tun Hussein retired from active politics and relinquished his prime minister post in 1981. He passed away on May 29, 1990. He was 68 then and will always be remembered as the Father of Unity for his efforts in promoting goodwill among the various communities. |
4th PRIME MINISTER MALAYSIA Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad 16 July 1981- 31 October 2003 Tun Dr Mahathir was born on December 20, 1925 in Seberang Perak, Alor Setar, the state capital of Kedah. He was educated in Alor Setar at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College, and in 1947 entered the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore where he studied medicine. After graduating in 1953 he he served as a Medical Officer before setting up a private practice in his hometown. Since 1945, he has been active in politics. He has been a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) since its inception in 1946. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1969 to represent Kota Setar Selatan. In 1969, however, Mahathir was expelled from the UMNO after his forceful advocacy of ethnic Malay nationalism brought him into conflict with Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Nevertheless. the New Economic Policy that the government adopted in 1971 to improve the economic situation of Malays embodied many of the ideas Mahathir had advocated. Owing to his keen interest in the country's education, he was appointed Chairman of the first Higher Education Council in 1968, Member of the Higher Education Advisory Council in 1972, Member of the University Court and University of Malaya Council, and Chairman of the National University Council in 1974. After Tun Abdul Razak became prime minister in 1970, Tun Dr Mahathir rejoined UMNO and was re-elected to its Supreme Council in 1972. In 1973, Dr. Mahathir was appointed a Senator, a post he relinquished in order to contest in the 1974 General Elections. He was re-elected to Parliament unopposed in 1974 and was then appointed Minister of Education. When Tun Hussein Onn became prime minister in 1976, he made Tun Dr Mahathir his Deputy Prime Minister in addition to being Minister of Education. In a Cabinet reshuffle two years later, he relinquished the Education portfolio for that of Trade and Industry. As Minister of Trade and Industry, he led several investment promotion missions overseas. Tun Dr Mahathir was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents of UMNO in 1975. In 1978, he won the Deputy President seat. In June 1981, Tun Dr Mahathir was elected president of the UMNO, which ensured his succession as the Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia on July 16 1981. Under his leadership, the ruling National Front coalition, led by the UMNO, won landslide victories in the 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1995 general elections. As prime minister,Tun Dr Mahathir has been active in international affairs, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. His leadership gave Malaysia the political stability it needed to pursue policies that would foster sustained economic growth. The government welcomed foreign investment, reformed the tax structure, reduced trade tariffs, and privatised numerous state-owned enterprises. Tun Dr Mahathir sought to bridge Malaysia's remaining ethnic divisions by increasing general prosperity. In this regard, the New Economic Policy, which had encouraged Malay economic success, was replaced in Tun Dr Mahathir's leadership, Malaysia acquired one of the most prosperous and dynamic economies in Southeast Asia, with a burgeoning manufacturing sector, an expanding middle class, rising literacy rates, and increased life expectancies. On January 8 1999, he relinquished the Home Affairs Minister's post. Due to the resignation of Tun Daim Zainuddin as the Finance Minister and Special Functions Minister on June 1 2001, Tun Dr Mahathir was acting ministers for both positions. Currently, he is holding the post of Finance Minister. In fact, he has expressed to the nation that he plans to resign in 2003. Tun Dr Mahathir is married to a doctor, Datin Seri Dr. Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali, and they have seven children Marina, Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Maizura, and Mazhar and ten grandchildren. |
5th PRIME MINISTER MALAYSIAY.A.B. Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
31 October 2003 - present
Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia on 31st October 2003..
Born on 26 November 1939 in Kampung Perlis, Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang, Dato' Seri Abdullah received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pematang Bertam. He later attended Bukit Mertajam High School, Penang Methodist Boys' School and a religious school started by his family. Dato' Seri Abdullah pursued his tertiary education at the University of Malaya where he graduated with B.A.(Hons) in Islamic studies in 1964.
Upon graduating, Dato' Seri Abdullah joined the civil service, where he started his career as Assistant Secretary in the Public Services Department in 1964. In 1969, Dato' Seri Abdullah moved to the National Operation Council (NOC) or Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN), a body responsible to exercise the ruling powers for the country after the May 1969 racial riots. Dato' Seri Abdullah was later promoted to the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sports as Director General (1971-1973) and Deputy Secretary General in 1974.
Dato' Seri Abdullah resigned from Government service in 1978 to pursue a political career. A loyal UMNO member since 1965, he was elected UMNO Supreme Council Member in 1981, and UMNO Vice President in 1984 and UMNO Deputy President in 1999.
Dato' Seri Abdullah won his first election for the Parliamentary seat of the Kepala Batas constituency in 1978, (a seat he has retained since). In the same year, Dato' Seri Abdullah was appointed to his first post in the administration of the Government of Malaysia, as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Territory Ministry. He was then promoted to Deputy Minister in the same Ministry in 1980. Dato' Seri Abdullah later held the post of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department from 1981 to 1984; and Minister of Education from 1984 to 1986; Minister of Defence from 1986 to 1987; and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to January 1999. In January 1999, Dato' Seri Abdullah was appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs.
Dato' Seri Abdullah is married to Datin Seri Endon Bt. Dato' Mahmood since 1965. The couple is blessed with two children, a son, Kamaluddin (married to Azrene) and a daughter, Nori (married to Khairy Jamaluddin).
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