Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) is a national day of Malaysia commemorating the

independence of the Federation of Malaya from British Colonial Rule in 1957,

celebrated on 31 August each year. This should not be confused with Hari
Malaysia (Malaysia Day) when Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963 together
by Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore.
The effort for independence was spearheaded by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first
Prime Minister of Malaysia, who led a delegation of ministers and political leaders of
Malaya in negotiations with the British in London for Merdeka or independence
along with the first president of the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) Tun Dato
Sir Tan Cheng Lock and fifth President of Malaysian Indian Congress Tun V.T
Sambanthan. Once it became clear that the Communist threat posed during the
Malayan Emergency was petering out, agreement was reached on 8 February 1956,
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 national independence.



On the night of 30
th
August 1957, crowds gathered at the Royal Selangor Club
Padang in Kuala Lumpur to witness the handover of power from the British. Prime
Minister-designate Tunku Abdul Rahman arrived at 11:58 pm and joined members
of the Alliance Partys youth divisions in observing two minutes of darkness. On the
stroke of midnight, the lights were switched back on, and the Union Flag in the
square was lowered. The new Flag of Malaya was raised as the national anthem
Negaraku was played. This was followed by seven chants of Merdeka by the crowd.
Tunku Abdul Rahman later gave a speech hailing the ceremony as greatest moment
in my life of the Malayan people. Before giving the address to the crowd, he was
given a necklace by representatives of the Alliance Party Youth in honour of this
great occasion in history, with a map of Malaya inscribed on it. The event ended at
one in the morning the very next day.








On the morning of 31
st
August 1957, the festivities moved to the newly completed
Merdeka Stadium. More than 20,000 people witnessed the ceremony, which began at
9.30 am. Those in attendance included rulers of the Malay states, foreign dignitaries,
members of the federal cabinet, and citizens. The Queens representative, the Duke of
Gloucester, presented Tunku Abdul Rahman with the instrument of independence.
Tunku then proceeded to read the Proclamation of Independence which culminated
in the chanting of Merdeka! seven times with the crowd joining in. The ceremony
continued with the raising of the National Flag of Malaya accompanied by the
national anthem being played by the military band and a 21-gun salute, followed by
and azan call and a thanksgiving prayer in honour of this great occasion. The day
followed with the solemn installation of the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku
Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan, at Jalan Ampang and the first installation
banquet in his honour in the evening followed by a beating retreat performance and
a fireworks display. Sports events and other events marked the birth of the new
nation.






THE FOREIGN GUESTS OF HONOUR INCLUDED :-
Members of royal families
The King and Queen of Thailand
The Crown Prince and Princess of Japan
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (representing The Queen)
Prince William of Gloucester

Heads of government
The Prime Minister South Africa, Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom
The Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phm Vn ng
The Prime Minister of Ceylon, Solomon Bandaranaike
The Prime Minister of Burma, U Nu
The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Sim Var
The United States Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles (representing US
President Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Representatives from other British colonies
The Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Alexander Grantham
The Chief Minister of Singapore, Lim Yew Hock

Members of the former British colonial administration
Sir Gerald Templer (former British High Commissioner in Malaya) and Lady Templer
Lady Gurney (wife of former British High Commissioner in Malaya Sir Henry Gurney)
Lady Gent (wife of former British High Commissioner in Malaya Sir Edward Gent)

High Commissioners of other Commonwealth countries
The High Commissioners of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand in Malaya





The Federation of Malaysia, comprising the Federation of Malaya, North
Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore was to be officially declared on the date 31 August
1963, on the 6th anniversary of Malayan independence. However, it was postponed to
16 September 1963, mainly due to Indonesian and the Philippines' opposition to the
formation of Malaysia. Nevertheless, North Borneo and Singapore declared
sovereignty on 31 August 1963. Indonesian opposition later escalated to a military
conflict. Indonesia considered Malaysia as a new form of colonisation on the
provinces of Sarawak and North Borneo in the island of Borneo (bordering
Kalimantan, Indonesia). However, they did not laid claim upon the two territories,
unlike Phillippines claim on eastern part of Sabah (rather than the whole North
Borneo). To assure Indonesia that Malaysia was not a form of neo-colonialism, a
general survey (instead of conducting a referendum) involving interviews of
approximately 4,000 people and received 2,200 memorandum from groups and
private individuals was organised by the United Nations, and the Cobbold
Commission, led by Lord Cobbold, were formed to determine whether the people
of North Borneo and Sarawak wished to join Malaysia.
Their eventual findings which indicated substantial support for Malaysia among the
peoples of Sabah and Sarawak, cleared the way for the final proclamation of
Malaysia.
The formation of the Federation of Malaysia was then announced on 16 September
1963, as Malaysia Day. The nationwide Independence Day celebration is still held on


31 August, the original independence date of Malaya, while Malaysia Day was a
public holiday only in East Malaysia. However, this has caused some minor
discontent among East Malaysians in particular since it has been argued that
celebrating the national day on 31 August is too Malaya-centric. In 2009, it was
decided that starting 2010, Malaysia Day would be a nationwide public holiday in
addition to Hari Merdeka on 31 August.