Malaysia Day is celebrated on September 16 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Malaysian Federation on the same date 1963. It may seem odd that Malaysia has two distinct national days, yet both are steeped in stories of sacrifice and independence. Therefore, both days are celebrated as national holidays in Malaysia. This day was not officially recognized as a holiday until 2010. Malaysia Day celebrations largely consist of national ceremonies honoring the resilience of Malaysians.
HISTORY OF MALAYSIA DAY Malaysia Day commemorates the establishment of the Malaysian Federation on September 16, 1963. Malaysia was formed when the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and the former British colony of Singapore merged with the Malaya Federation. However, Singapore broke from the Federation on August 9, 1965, two years later. On August 31, Malaysia commemorates its Independence Day, which is also a national holiday. It is unusual for a country to have two national days, but East Malaysia’s incorporation into the Federation of Malaya calls for festivities. Sabah was an oil-rich state, and both the Philippines and Malaysia desired to acquire it. However, Sabah was a British colony for seventeen years until joining the Federation of Malaysia. The influx of Indonesian refugees in the 1970s and the dispute over Sabah’s claim to some of the nearby islands led to the official incorporation of the Indonesian islands of Sipadan and Ligitan into Sabah. The Brooke Dynasty was known as the “white rajas” and ruled the state of Sarawak. Under their control, the state of Sarawak developed and expanded. In 1963, these two states joined the Malaysian Federation. Malaysia Day was not initially a national holiday until former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the request. It became an official national holiday in 2010. MALAYSIA DAY TIMELINE
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