3. The Malaysian Independence (1957)

                             "Tiga Satu bulan Lapan, Lima puluh Tujuh, Hari Mulia, negaraku Merdeka." A line from a song by legendary 'Sudirman' a Malaysian national singer, reminding us every year of the date, of which Malaysian gained their freedom. As a Malaysian myself, I would always remember the date, as per the lyrics "Three, One, on the month of Eight, Fifty Seven, My country is independent." It was a date which all Malaysian will remember as they remembered the shout of our first prime minister 'Tunku Abdul Rahman' (the father of independence as we call him), which echoed the 'Stadium Merdeka' (Independence Stadium) in the heart of our great capital Kuala Lumpur. He shouted MERDEKA! (Freedom), and crowd of tens of thousand who filled the seats of the stadium, replied MERDEKA! It was a glorious moment for our nation. My father was there, among the crowd. He was 9 years old.

                               It all started after the end of the second world war. On the 16th of August 1945, the Japanese who occupying Malaya throughout the second world war had surrendered. It was a shocking news, the British had was on their way to reclaim Malaya from the Japanese, and it will take them another 19 days to return. In that mean time, the communist party who was part of the British sponsored MPAJA (Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army) had sort it in them to gain control of the nation, and reject the return of the British. Malaya was in chaos, the Malayans (not Malays, just Malayans) could not accept the ideas of communism. When the British returned they were opposed by both the communist and the Malayans, but the Malayans know that they had to defeat the communist before they drive out the Brits.

the Malayan Union flag

                              It was a vigorous affair of the Guerrilla warfare against the Communist who based themselves in the jungles, it lasted from 1948 till 1960. The communist defeat was resulted from Joseph Stalin's death in 1953, in which they lost support of Russia, and also because the combine force of Malayans, and the British. With the communist out of the way, the Malayans are now bent on driving out the British and gain independence as their own nation, and not a colony as the British had suggested with the plans for a Malayan Union being drawn up. Their was demands made by the British, if Malaya was to be granted independence. 1st was the ratification of the communist, which was done. Second a government is to be formed by election. The UMNO (United Malays National Organization) party was the favorite choice for many Malays. Together with the MCA (Malayan Chinese Association) and the MIC (Malayan Indian Congress), they formed The alliance (they were not called Barisan National yet) that would win the majority seat in the election of 1955. Thus the first Malayan government (still is the same parties today).

                              The British, who was shocked at this progress (because they didn't think the Malayans could do it and therefore wouldn't have to turn over the country's rule to the Malayans), and angered at it. They decided to not grant Malayan independence and is going ahead with the plan for a Malayan Union. A peaceful protest was held (really it was peaceful, not a single blood, other then the communist was shed in our story of independence) all around Malaya. Tunku Abdul Rahman, led a convoy to London in 1956, to plea the case with the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd (in truth it was the state secretary Lennox-Boyd who has the authorization), and on 31th of August 1957 Malaya, along with Sabah, and Sarawak of the Borneo states and Singapore (they often forget that Malaya was the one that gave them their independence, those ungrateful brats), was officially declared an Independent state. MERDEKA!