Malaysia Day

Malaysia Day (Malay: Hari Malaysia) is a public holiday held on 16 September every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. This event saw the union of Malaya, North Borneo (which was renamed Sabah), Sarawak, and Singapore into a single state. Singapore, however, was expelled from the federation less than two years later, on 9 August 1965.

For the national day of Malaysia, see Independence Day (Malaysia).

Malaysia Day
2011 Malaysia Day celebrations at Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur.
Official nameHari Malaysia
Observed byMalaysians
TypeNational
SignificanceMarks the establishment of the Malaysian federation.
Date16 September
FrequencyAnnual
Part of the
Formation of Malaysia
Events
Malaysia Bill
Cobbold Commission
 • 18-point agreement
 • 20-point agreement
Singaporean referendum
Sarawak communist insurgency
Piracy in the Sulu Sea
 • Cross border attacks in Sabah
 • Moro conflict
Brunei revolt
 • North Borneo Federation
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Manila Accord
Maphilindo
Sarawak Self-governance
Malaysia Act 1963
North Borneo Self-governance
Proclamation of Malaysia
Operation Claret
1964 race riots in Singapore
MacDonald House bombing
PAP–UMNO relations
Proclamation of Singapore
UN Security Council Resolution 213
Singapore Agreement
South Thailand insurgency
2019 failed constitutional amendment
 Malaysia portal

History

The planned date for the formation of the new federation was 1 June 1963, but the event was postponed to 31 August 1963, to coincide with the sixth Hari Merdeka. Several issues relating to the objections of neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines to the formation of Malaysia delayed the declaration to 16 September of the same year. The postponement also allowed the United Nations team time to conduct a fact-finding mission in North Borneo and Sarawak regarding the two states participation in a new federation.[1][2] No referendum regarding federation was ever conducted in North Borneo or Sarawak. Singapore held a referendum on 1 September 1962, with all three options endorsing integration into Malaysia.

The formation of Malaysia was done under the basis of the Malaysia Agreement, signed in 1963 by the United Kingdom, the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak, North Borneo, and Singapore. This Agreement set out the terms and conditions for the component States to be federated under a new constitution. This Agreement included in its annexes the "Malaysia Bill" (Annex A), and the constitutions of Sabah (Annex B), Sarawak (Annex C), and Singapore (Annex D). The "Malaysia Bill" was introduced in the Malayan Parliament on 9 July 1963, and received consent from Tuanku Syed Putra, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, on 29 August 1963.[1]

Prior to the formation of Malaysia, Sarawak gained self-government on 22 July 1963.[3] North Borneo began self-governing on 31 August 1963,[4] coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the Malayan independence and the originally intended date of the Malaysia Agreement.

Prior to 2010, Malaysia Day was observed as a state public holiday only in Sabah and Sarawak. In 2010 Malaysia Day became a nationwide public holiday.[5] Prime Minister Najib Razak made the decision after a question-and-answer session at Parliament on 19 October 2009, giving Malaysians two celebrations related to the country's independence.

In conjunction with the day celebration in 2018 under the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad promised to restore a more autonomous status to Sabah and Sarawak in accordance with the original Malaysia Agreement, changing "their status from merely a state to an equal partner of the Malayan states".[6][7] On Malaysia Day in 2020, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin made a similar pledge.[8]

Other observations

16 September is also Malaysian Armed Forces Day.

Malaysia Forever was a song composed by Bobby Gimby to celebrate the Formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Bobby Gimby received the nickname "The Pied Piper of Canada" after the Prime Minister nicked Gimby "the Pied Piper from Canada". The song was recorded in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It is a folk song with a length of 2 minutes sung by the Choir of the Marymount Vocational School (Singapore). On the days before the merger, it was taught to school children and became an instant hit when it was broadcast over the air-waves throughout Malaysia.[9][10]

See also

References
  1. A marriage that was doomed from the start. New Straits Times. 4 August 2007.
  2. Looi Sue-Chern (15 September 2014). "Sabah and Sarawak deserve better, says Guan Eng in Malaysia Day message". The Malaysian Insider. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  3. Frans Welman (9 March 2017). Borneo Trilogy Sarawak: Volume 2. Booksmango. pp. 134–. ISBN 978-616-245-089-1. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  4. Frans Welman (9 March 2017). Borneo Trilogy Volume 1: Sabah. Booksmango. pp. 159–. ISBN 978-616-245-078-5. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  5. Yeng Ai Chun (19 October 2009). "Malaysia Day now a public holiday, says PM". The Star. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  6. Stephanie Lee; Fatimah Zainal (16 September 2018). "Sabah, Sarawak to be restored as equal partners forming Malaysia, says Dr M". The Star. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  7. "Sabah, Sarawak to be restored as equal partners forming Malaysia, not just component states, says PM Mahathir". The Star/Asia News Network. The Straits Times. 16 September 2018. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  8. Koya, Zakiah (17 September 2020). "Sabah, Sarawak our equal partners". TheStar. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. "Malaysians Should Reflect On Lyrics From Malaysia Forever". 15 September 2015.
  10. Listen to Music on YouTube
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