Merdeka

Merdeka means Independence and Malaysians throughout the country have been gearing up for a wonderful August 31st celebration. Taylor's College got into the act on the morning of August 30 with a flag raising ceremony. There were patriotic songs, the national anthem, mini flags and a good deal of commaraderie as the pictures can attest.

Malaysia as we know it today is a thriving developing country, often considered a “role model” by its Southeast Asian neighbours for its economic and political stability, multicultural harmony and steady progress. August 31st, 2007 marks the 50th year of this country's independence from British colonialism and the day the joyful, triumphant shouts of “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!” resonated throughout the nation as Malaya's first Prime Minister, Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on a podium at Merdeka Square doing the same.

The name Malaya was then changed to Malaysia when the country was officially made a federation of 13 states including Sabah and Sarawak on the Island of Borneo. Article 1(1) of the Federal Constitution states that "The federation shall be known, in Malay and English, as Malaysia". Although Singapore broke away and became a nation of its own in 1965, the rest of the states have remained firmly together, combining to make Malaysia the harmonious melting pot of cultures it is today.

Here is a bit of the chronological history of Malaysia.

1511 – Melaka was invaded by the Portuguese and hence the start of the era of the European colonial powers.
1596 – The Dutch arrived and decided to take over Melaka from the Portuguese in order to control the sea route that connects the Eastern countries and the Western countries.
1641 – The Dutch officially gained control of Melaka and conquered the land for 200 years.
17 March 1824 – Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, also known as the Treaty of London, was signed between the UK and UK of the Netherlands in London. Which included the term that the Netherlands would cede the city and fort of Melaka. Hence the begining of British colony in Malaya.

1 January 1942 – World War II broke out, the Japanese army invaded Labuan Island which syndicate the beginning of their campaign to capture Borneo. For the next three years following the invasion, the British power in East Asia was strongly affected by the Japanese occupation.
1946 – The British announced plans to turn the Federated and Unfederated Malay States, Penang and Melaka into a unitary state called Malayan.
1955-1956 – UMNO, the MCA and the British hammered out a constitutional settlement for an independent Malaya.
31 August 1957 – Malaya achieved independence and Tunku Abdul Rahman became the first Primte Minister.
1961 – Prime Minister Abdul Rahman mooted the idea of forming Malaysia that includes Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
16 September 1963 – Malaysia was formally formed merging Malaya, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak.
21 July 1964 – 36 people were killed and 556 injured in the 1964 Race Riots between Chinese and Malay groups in Singapore.
9 August 1965 – Singapore was expelled from Malaysia, Singapore gained independence.
May 1969 – During the federal elections, the UMNO-MCA-MIC Alliance polled only 48% of the vote that leads to a large lost of Chinese-majority seats of MCA to DAP candidates. A riot was raised.
22 September 1970 – Tunku Abdul Rahman was forced to retire and Tun Abdul Razak became the second Prime Minister of Malaysia.
14 January 1976 - Tunku Abdul Razak passed on due to leukaemia.
15 January 1976 – Datuk Hussein Onn ,the son of UMNO’s founder Onn Jaafar, succeeded the position as the third Prime Minister of Malaysia, who later was also referred to as the Father of Unity.
10 July 1981 – Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, fondly called “Dr. M” by his supporters, became the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia and remained in office for 22 years.
July 1997 – The beginning of the period of economic unrest, termed as the East Asian Financial Crisis, largely affected the economy growth in Malaysia.
31 October 2003 – Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir and became the fourth and also current Prime Minister of Malaysia.
31 August 2007 – Malaysia celebrating 50 years anniversary!