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Independence Day (Malaysia)

Public holiday on 31 August

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  • 5 chapters

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The observation of 31 August as Malaysia's national day is the cause of some controversy, especially among East Malaysians, with calls to prioritise the celebration of Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia) on 16 September instead. Malaysia Day commemorates the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when the four entities of North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya federated to form Malaysia as part of the Malaysia Agreement.

East Malaysians argue that it is illogical to celebrate 31 August 1957 as Malaysia's national day when Malaysia was only established in 1963, and that the "Federation of Malaya" was a different entity. Supporters of Hari Merdeka argue that "the Federation" as defined in article 160 of the Malaysian constitution is the same "Federation of Malaya" that was first established in 1948 and when it ceased to be a British protectorate on 31 August 1957.

Events leading up to independence

The effort for independence was spearheaded by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. When Tunku was elected as president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) shortly after the resignation of Tun Dato' Onn Jaafar, he soon realised that in order to save his country from a communist attack or British exploitation, he needed to fight for independence through a multi-racial alliance. Soon, he led a delegation of ministers and political leaders of Malaya in negotiations with the British in London for Merdeka, or independence along with Tun Dato Sri Tan Cheng Lock, the first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), and Tun V. T. Sambanthan, fifth President of Malayan Indian Congress. Once unity between Malay, Indian, and Chinese peoples was achieved, an agreement was reached on 8 February 1956 in Lancaster House in London, for Malaya to gain independence from the British Empire. However, logistical and administrative reasons led to the official proclamation of independence in the next year, on 31 August 1957, at Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), in Kuala Lumpur, which was purposely built for the celebrations of the national independence day. The announcement of the day was set months earlier by Tunku Abdul Rahman in a meeting of the Alliance in Malacca in February 1957.

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