Happy Birthday to Malaysia, Happy Merdeka

August 29th, 2006

Malaysia will be celebrating the 49th birthday, or 49th National Day on 31 Aug 2006. 31st Aug of each year, is a significant day for Malaysians to remember the eventful journey we have gone through since the day we stepped into a free and independent nation on 31 Aug 1957.

In the history of Malaysia, Melaka is indeed one of the most historically remarkable states in Malaysia, not only that Melaka was the first state to be colonized by foreign power, Portuguese, in 1511, but also the fact that Melaka was Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (Malaysia’s first Prime Minister and Father of Independence) first stop in his nationwide tour in 1956 to gather support in his quest for the country’s independence.

Do you know where was the place Tunku made his first official public announcement on the success of securing independence for Malaya from the British Government? The answer is, Dataran Pahlawan (diagonally opposite the Porta de Santiago and Mahkota Parade) of Melaka, which is currently being transformed into a new commercial complex.

When the independence delegation returned back from London to Malaya, the team led by Tunku Abdul Rahman first touched down at the Melaka Batu Berendam Airport, the first airport in Malaysia, and headed to Dataran Pahlawan (about 16 km away) for the official historic announcement will full of supports from the massive number of participants.

Merdeka Everywhere

If you are a foreign tourist visiting Melaka or Malaysia in this August, the word “Merdeka” is surely frequently appearing to you everywhere. For your information, the word merdeka means independence in Malay language.

On 31 Aug 1957 at Dataran Merdeka, Tunku Abdul Rahman cried out “Merdeka” for a total of 7 times.

During this Merdeka season, the Malaysia flag is also flying everywhere in the public places. The sea of flags is easily one of the most photogenic scenes for photographers.

Further References

History of Malaysia:

• Foreign Powers in Malaya, Tourism-Malaysia,net
• Independence of Malaya and Formation of Malaysia, Tourism-Malaysia.net
• History of Malaysia, Wikipedia

AllMalaysia.info has also published a site themed Merdeka@49 dedicated to the celebration of this 49th Malaysia National Day. This site is featuring pool of comprehensive and interesting information for your further knowledge. Besides, a photography contest is also going on at AllMalaysia.info.

Related Previous Posts

• Happy DeepaRaya
• Jonker Walk Music Festival 2006
• Dataran Bandaraya Melaka
• 17th Chinese New Year Decoration Carnival in Melaka
• Steamed and Roasted Breads at Siang Chiang Kopitiam

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