Tracing the origins of Malaysia


Sabah's first Governor Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun taking his oath of office on September 16, 1963. (picture goes with story slug kkrwah for malaysia day pullout)

The idea of Malaysia came to fruition in 1963 as a culmination of the combined forces of decolonisation and expanding South-East Asian nationalisms.

THE famous announcement on May 27, 1961 by Tunku Abdul Rahman, then the Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya, calling for forging closer political and economic cooperation between Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, Brunei and Sarawak, is generally taken as the starting point for the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. The roots of the Malaysia scheme, however, go further back in time and were embedded in British plans hatched in 1942 for the decolonisation of South-East Asia in the post-Second World War period.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Nation

Dr Wee is set to address key issues at the 11th GLA Conference in Bangkok
Bachok, first district in Kelantan flooded
Dr Wan Azizah proposes setting up of ‘cat homes’
Suspect from Esha cyberbullying case nabbed for similar offence, say cops
Sibu woman loses RM549,000 in online investment scam
Health Ministry plans to upgrade cardiothoracic centres across Malaysia
Misunderstanding leads to student brawl in Kota Kinabalu
26 squatter homes on Forestry Department land in Kunak demolished
Shorter working hours won’t affect productivity in public sector, says Cuepacs
New Village Expo in Ipoh sees a plethora of local products on display

Others Also Read