Federation of Malaya

Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1957

August 31 is Hari Merdeka or Malaysia’s Independence Day. Here’s a brief look at Merdeka Day celebrations over the last 59 years and other events that have shaped the nation.

1. Malaysia gained her independence from Great Britain in 1957. Over 20,000 people gathered in Merdeka Square to mark the occasion, including the Duke of Gloucester, the King and Queen of Thailand and the Prime Minister of India. The first prime minister of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, chanted some of the most iconic words in Malaysian history, “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka”.

2. From 1957 onwards, Merdeka celebrations have been held every year in all its grandeur. Dignitaries wear traditional uniforms and costumes, fighter jets fly overhead in a blaze of smoke and military personnel and Kadazan tribal people march through the streets.

3. Inaugural celebrations featured dancing formations that depicted the emblem of the ruling party, Barisan Nasional — or the National Front Coalition Party. Barisan Nasional has ruled Malaysia since 1957, making it one of the longest ruling, democratically installed governments in the world.

4. Up until September 16, 1963, Malaysia was still known as the Federation of Malaya. Two years after Singapore left the federation in 1961, the Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak merged with Peninsula Malaya to form the new Malaysia.

5. Merdeka Day celebrations in 1963 were nothing short of extravagant with traditional dancers from East Malaysia appearing for the first time in full ceremonial regalia, armed with spears and other tribal items.

6. Malaysia Day, not to be confused with Merdeka Day, is held every September 16 to mark the formation of Malaysia.

7. In 1967, Merdeka celebrations saw perhaps the biggest crowd in Malaysian history. An estimated 50,000 people attended the ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of Malaysia’s independence. Thousands of law enforcement and military personnel marched through Merdeka Square.

Merdeka 3 Military procession passes dignitaries at inaugural Merdeka celebration in 1957

8. Merdeka Football Festival has run concurrently with Merdeka celebrations from 1957. The festival is the oldest football event in Asia and has seen teams from all over the world compete for the prestigious trophy. Hong Kong were the inaugural winners in 1957.

9. Malacca City hosted the first Merdeka celebration outside of Stadium Merdeka and Dataran Merdeka in 1985. The decision was the brainchild of Malaysia’s “Father of Development” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad. The Malacca Club was turned into a Merdeka memorial called the Merdeka Declaration Memorial to archive all past and future Merdeka celebrations.

10. In the same year, one of Malaysia’s most iconic acts, the Alleycats, released their chart-topping album Suara Kekasih. Founded in 1978, the Alleycats went on to have a profound impact on Malaysian people and the Malaysian music industry.

Music icons the Alleycats

11. Following 1963, there was a push for Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines to form a confederation called Maphilindo. However, there were too many controversies and disputes over territory with then Indonesian president Sukarno putting an end to discussions.

12. Shortly after, Indonesia provided Malaysia with the greatest threat to her independence. They declared war on the Kalimantan-East Malaysia border, laying claims to territories north of Kalimantan. Indonesia only came to officially acknowledge the formation of Malaysia three years later in 1966.

13. Malaysia and her states have been ruled by many invaders over the years from Srivijayan Buddhists and Majapahit Hindus to Portuguese, Dutch and British settlers as well as the Japanese in World War II. Many of these cultures are still present in current day Merdeka celebrations.

50th anniversary Merdeka celebrations in 2007

So, if you are keen to observe a bit of Malaysian history, be sure to join in the fun this August 31. There will be festivities across the nation with performances, parades and fireworks in most cities. Head to Tourism Malaysia Official Site for more information.

Article source: http://blog.tourism.gov.my/feed/

Perlis – More than only a stopover

Jan 23rd, 2013

by melakatour.

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Perlis might be a smallest state in Malaysia, yet binds a possess when it comes to a abounding ancestral past and desirable attractions.

Perlis is located during a northern partial of west seashore of Peninsular Malaysia, south of Thailand and north of Kedah. With a race of tighten to 230,000 people in an area measuring tighten to 800 block kilometres, Perlis is famous as a smallest state in Malaysia.

The collateral of Perlis is Kangar and about 10km divided is a state’s stately collateral Arau. For many travellers, Perlis is a stopover on a approach to other towns or traveller attractions. For example, Perlis’ Padang Besar is a limit city that is partial of a common track travellers take from Malaysia to Thailand. Perlis’ categorical pier and packet depot during a tiny encampment of Kuala Perlis is also used to get to Langkawi Island, renouned with unfamiliar and internal tourists.

An aerial perspective of Kangar city today.

Even yet Perlis is seen as a transport couple to other renouned destinations, it is mocking that there is no airfield in a state. Rail or highway are a usually options for people to get into Perlis. The nearest airports are located in Alor Setar, Kedah, that is about 40 kilometres divided from Kuala Perlis, and on Langkawi island, about 45 kilometres divided from Perlis’ categorical port.

Historical go-between

Originally, Perlis was partial of Kedah and was ruled by a Siamese, that cowed Kedah in 1821. During Siamese rule, Perlis was called Palit. At that time a Siamese had sealed an agreement with a British, where a latter concurred a Siamese explain over 4 northern states – Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. This treaty, famous as a Burney Treaty 1826, positive a British a explain on Penang and rights to trade in Terengganu and Kelantan though division from a Siamese.

The banished Kedah Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin and his supporters fought for over 12 years to revive a Malaya Sultan to his throne, yet finally a Malay ruler supposed a conditions set by a Siamese and resumed his Sultanate in Kedah. The Siamese afterwards distant Perlis as a bondman state, where Sayyid Hussain Jamalulail became a initial Raja Perlis or Perlis ruler.

In 1909, a Anglo-Siamese Treaty dissected a tenure of states again, withdrawal a Siamese’ southern Malay states to a British. While a British had commissioned a Resident in a state, Perlis was returned to a Siamese (or Thailand) during World War II for a fondness with Japan. But this was usually finished quickly as a cast finished after a Japanese surrendered. Perlis became partial of a Malayan Union, afterwards a Federation of Malaya in 1957 and assimilated a Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

Bukit Jernih in Chuping is one of a many charming limestone hills in Perlis.

Perlis today

Kangar is a state collateral of Perlis, with a race of about 50,000. The 3000 ha sized city is located by a Perlis river. In a centre of a city lies a Sena district or popularly called “Uptown Sena” by locals.

Most of Perlis’ residents are polite servants or farmers who work on a paddy fields in a outskirt areas. The city centre is done adult of crisscrossing streets lined by shophouses, typically housing banks, various shops and quick food restaurants.

Some trust that a name Kangar came from a hawk class called Kangkok while a opposite chronicle of a start is cited in a Perlis state government’s website. The website states that underneath a order of Sultan Muhyiddin Mansor Shah from 1652, Tok Peduka non-stop Kangar in 1653. A Kangar tree was found during a stream and subsequently he renamed a area, Pelabuhan Pohon Kangar or Port of Kangar tree.

Perlis’ categorical mercantile activity is rice tillage and visitors are means to admire a expanded views of paddy fields, wooden huts and farmers given to their stand when they transport over Kangar. Similarly like Perak, pretentious limestone plateau arise from these prosaic paddy fields, that supplement to a attract of Perlis. These plateau or outcroppings as they are known, are partial of a prolonged limestone operation in Southeast Asia called a Nakawan, that lies on a limit of Perlis and Thailand.

This 500 million year aged limestone is home to over 600 class of flora and fauna, including 68 invertebrate species, according to a state tourism department. Visitors can try a wonders of this limestone sourroundings by visiting a 370-metre prolonged limestone cavern called Gua Kelam during Kaki Bukit, all during a Perlis State Park. The usually approach into a cavern is by walking on an eight-foot far-reaching wooden cessation bridge, that links Kaki Bukit to a Wan Tangga Valley.

A sea of green: The monumental perspective of a paddy margin in Perlis.

History buffs can suffer a state museum, Kota Kayang Museum or revisit a Syed Alwi State Mosque, a former state mosque that was built in 1910. Other renouned sights are a old-fashioned fishing city of Kuala Perlis, renouned as a movement heart and also for a internal cuisine. A lizard and invertebrate plantation is located nearby Sungai Batu Pahat and surrounded by a Bukit Bintang Forest Reserve, an captivate for inlet lovers. At this farm, investigate is conducted to rise anti-venom medicine for lizard bites. It houses over 20 class of snakes and reptiles, including crocodiles and guard lizards.

Map: Perlis

North to Perlis we go!

Kangar’s small gems

Tags: Bukit Bintang Forest Reserve, Gua Kelam, Kaki Bukit, Kangar, Kota Kayang Museum, Kuala Perlis, Perlis, Perlis State Park, reptile farm, Snake and Reptile Farm, snake farm, Sungai Batu Pahat, Syed Alwi State Mosque, Wan Tangga Valley

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Merdeka Day

Aug 30th, 2012

by melakatour.

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What is there to do in Malaysia during Merdeka Day? What is a place to be in Kuala Lumpur?

The 31st of Aug is a date that bears a good stress to all Malaysians. During a month of August, a Malaysian dwindle famous locally as a ‘Jalur Gemilang’ which, loosely translated, means Stripes of Glory, can be seen literally everywhere be it on a lamppost, on tip of a car, fluttering in a hands of nationalistic Malaysian children and so forth. This anniversary arise in a nation’s adore for a nation is attributed utterly apparently to a autonomy of Malaysia and a 31st of Aug is fondly referred to by all Malaysians as Hari Merdeka; a day a country’s initial Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, commemorated a autonomy of a Federation of Malaya approach behind in 1957. More than half a century on, it is customarily healthy for such a poignant date to still be remembered and this time of a year is also a pleasure to locals and tourists comparison as Hari Merdeka prompts a gratifying suggestion that decorates a nation with smashing displays of enlightenment and tradition in a form of several open events and celebrations orderly all opposite a country.

malaysian automobile with flag

Malaysia is famous for a many festivities that come with a multicultural multitude and Malaysians are not a kind to bashful divided from celebration. Hence, Merdeka, like any other inhabitant holiday or gratifying season, is a colorful and gratifying time whereby a streets will be strewn with all sorts of patriotically prone events generally in some-more executive areas such as categorical townships and of march a collateral itself, Kuala Lumpur. The buildup to Merdeka Day is customarily really visual, with decorations, mostly involving a Malaysian flag, gracing a exteriors and really expected a interiors of roughly each building in a country. The flashiest and many elaborate decorations in and with Merdeka can be found within a country’s many selling malls and this fundamentally relates to many festivities distinguished in Malaysia. Quite simply, a attainment of Hari Merdeka is one of those times that adds a visible aptitude to a already engaging bland backdrop of a colorful country.

Like roughly anywhere in a world, a children of Malaysia are nurtured to be patriotically prone from a belligerent adult and when Merdeka comes around, these efforts naturally feature and this is nonetheless another materialisation understandable from a normal Malaysian street. Weeks before a day arrives, copiousness of activities will take place for a Malaysian immature that operation from cranky nation events to performances such as concerts or competitions orderly analogous to a thesis of Malaysia’s independence. These activities are customarily orderly in open that would concede a internal community, passersby and tourists comparison to all soak adult a nationalistic atmosphere channeled by a era of tomorrow.

merdeka block malaysia

It is customarily wise that a prominence of Merdeka takes place on a day of a stipulation itself. On a 31st of August, all Malaysian states will classify a internal Merdeka Parade. Among those who attend in this march are supervision services such as a military, a military force, naval army and so forth. It is also really common to see propagandize children participating; another pointer of how a nation’s younger era takes honour in a autonomy of a country. From an audience’s indicate of view, a eyeglasses to demeanour out for in these parades would be a pleasing floats that are a contingency each time Merdeka comes around. The categorical events of these inhabitant parades customarily take place during night whereby a array of on-stage performances are orderly to finish a poignant day on a high note. It is hackneyed for internal celebrities to attend in these events annually. Every year, several states take turns in organizing a inhabitant march that would customarily manage a assemblage of a country’s Prime Minister and a Sultan among many other high form attendees. On a ubiquitous note however, a flagship march is apparently a one that takes place in a capital, Kuala Lumpur as a plcae where this takes place, Merdeka Square, is a really plcae a word ‘Merdeka’ was chanted 7 times by Tunku Abdul Rahman himself in 1957, signifying a new commencement for a Federation of Malaya; a new commencement that led to Malaysia as we know it today.

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Celebration, Festival, Festivities, Independance day, Malaysia, National Holiday, Public Holiday

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