Of a Nation: An outlook of Malaysia upon the occasion of the 66th anniversary of independence and the

60th anniversary of the federation –From independence to present

Introduction: August 31,1957. A day that is entrenched into the minds of Malaysians everywhere. For on
that day,Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on a lectern and recited a declaration in front a large crowd that
gathered inside a large stadium, of which its name gives us a clue into what this day was about, Stadium
Merdeka or Independence Stadium. Those in attendance included rulers of the Malay states, foreign
dignitaries, members of the federal cabinet, and citizens. The then former British Queen Elizabeth II's
representative, the Duke of Gloucester presented Tunku Abdul Rahman with the instrument. The important
part of said instrument is this paragraph:

“Now, In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful, I Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra ibni Al-Marhum
Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah, Prime Minister of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, with the concurrence and
approval of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf of the
people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu that as from the thirty first day of August, nineteen hundred and
fifty seven, the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu comprising the States of Johor, Pahang, Negeri Semblian,
Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Malacca and Penang is and with Allah’s blessing shall
be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice
and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all
nations

This paragraph marked the day that Malaya was free from the shackle of colonialism that Britain had
established on the land a century prior. No more were we subservient to a foreign power but now free to
decide its own destiny.After that paragraph was spoken,he shouted ‘Merdeka!’ seven times,these words are
now forever engrained in Malaysian hearts. There were dreams on many peoples’ minds that we were to
have prosperity amongst the people of the land and that life would be good in the long-term. Then came the
day of federation, September 16th, 1963. Unity took centre stage as the peoples of Malaya,Sabah,Sarawak
and Singapore came toghether to create Malaysia as we know it.

Fast forward to now and it seems that Malaysia has gone through a very bumpy ride. Of the many events that
have transpired in our nation, I think it is best we look at our history in a more nuanced manner. Therefore,
we shall look back at our history in sections of decades higlighting sveral kkey events in terms of geopolitical,
societal and economical change to see how we got to this point.

Section 1: The 1950s-Independence

We often know for ourselves that independence was a long process from the start. It was started by a long
negotiation process with Britain in order to sort out the terms of our independence. There were a lots of back
and forth between the two parties. Keep in mind that the Malayan Emergency was still going on at that time
so defence was also a concern at the time. The major political groups at the time were the MIC,MCA and
UMNO. During 1955 and 1956 UMNO, the MCA and the British hammered out a constitutional settlement for
a principle of equal citizenship for all races. In exchange, the MCA agreed that Malaya's head of state would
be drawn from the ranks of the Malay Sultans, that Malay would be the official language, and that Malay
education and economic development would be promoted and subsidised. In effect, this meant that Malaya
would be run by the Malays, but that the Chinese and Indians would have proportionate representation in
the Cabinet and the parliament, would run those states where they were the majority, and would have their
economic position protected. The difficult issue of who would control the Education system was deferred
until after independence. Even though independence was the eventual goal, the exact controls were still
debated. Although it eventually fizzled out at the end. This showed that no matter how different the specific
groups’ opinions were and their reactions to concessions, unity is truly strength (like our national motto).

Section 2: The 1960s-Unity,Confrontation and a Fracture

The 1960s proved to be quite the tumultuous decade for Malaysia. Even though the Emergency was ended at
the start of the decade, what followed were jubilations accompanied by a side of chaos. Even before the
foundation of Malaysia was realised, Indonesia and The Philippines raised objections over the lands of North
Borneo (now Sabah). Indonesia said that it was a form of ‘neocolonialism’ by the British in order to still
maintain their holdings in the area while the Philippines claimed the territory as theirs. Due to this, a team
from the UN had to conduct a survey as to whether or not the people of North Borneo were fine with joining
Malaysia. What was supposed to be a smooth process changed to a huge geopolitical situation in Malaysia.
The people of North Borneo agreed with joining Malaysia and so it was. The Indonesian government under
the leadership of Sukarno reacted furiously over the federation’s formation. He believed that the lands of
Sarawak and North Borneo were destined to be a part of Indonesia. From hindsight, this was rather
provocative given he had very nationalistic views and some saw this as an attempt to appease supporters of
the Communist Party of Indonesia or KPI. This culminated in the start of the Confrontation. Even though
Britain and their allies (specifically Australia and New Zealand) did most of the fighting , Malaysian support
increasing as the war progressed. The Confrontation had a lasting impact. Even though relations have now
been smoothed out, the scar that came from this war still remains. Just a year before the aforementioned
Confrontation ended with a peace agreement came the separation of Singapore from the federation on the
9th of August 1965. Lee Kuan Yew had tried to maintain Singapore’s status in the federation. However, the
different ideologies of both him (a Malaysian Malaysia for all) and Tunku Abdul Rahman (wanting to preserve
the special rights of Malays specifically though there were other beliefs) ultimately led to the separation.
Many still lament this day as a rebuke of unity in favour of individuality even as relations have improved since
then. From my view, while it was indeed a sad day, I believe as relations have improved, cooperation can heal
some wounds from the separation. What happened next was shocking. On the 13th of May 1969,the then-
Alliance coalition (which had ruled Malaysia since independence at that point) nearly lost a highly contested
election as opposition parties (such as the DAP and Gerakan) were projected to gain seats in Parliament. The
Malays (who supported UMNO who were one of the main parties in the governing coalition) grew hatred
against the other races (I.e. the Chinese and Indians) who were supportive of the opposition parties. Tensions
boiled and eventually riots started breaking out. The official death figure was 196 however some estimates
put the death toll at more than 600. The racial riots led to a declaration of a state of national emergency by
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King), resulting in the suspension of Parliament. A National Operations Council
(NOC) was established as a caretaker government to temporarily govern the country between 1969 and
1971.This event was significant in Malaysian politics as it forced Tunku Abdul Rahman to step down from
office and hand over the reins to Tun Abdul Razak. Razak's government shifted their domestic policies to
favour Malays with the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP), and the Malay party UMNO
restructured the political system to advance Malay dominance in accordance with the ideology of Ketuanan
Melayu (lit. "Malay Supremacy"). On hindsight, even though this background only scratches the surface, it
gives us an idea of the rather volatile situation at that time.

Section 3:The 1970s-Peace

The 1970s were a time of relative peace and stability after the tumultuous closing of the previous decade.
Under Razak’s leadership,the country became more economically feasible at the least and people did carry
on as usual. Barring changes in the political field, the Rukun Negara or National Principles were established in
1970 as a way to unite the country after the chaos of 1969. The principles were laid out as follows:

1. The Belief in God

2. Loyaty to King and Country
3. The Supremacy of the Constituitino
4. The Rule of Law
5. Courtesy and Morality

All government-school children are still taught today to recite and remember these principles at assemblies
and many Malaysians still remember and hold true to these principles. The principles have been recited at
every National Day parade since 1970. Further on there was nothing but sheer normality in Malaysia

Section 5-The 1980s-Economic Development

During the 1980s,economic development flourished. Under the strengthening of the NEP by Tun Dr Mahathir
when he first took office as Prime Minister, hew was widely credited to have brought about the flourishment
of the economy and the modernisation of the country. His government initiated widespread industry
privatisation and a series of bold infrastructure projects. He centralised power through undermining judicial
independence and supporting a constitutional amendment to remove legal immunity for royalty. He was
however and still is criticized over the detaining of journalists, activists and religious figures who were said to
be critical of the Malaysian government(Ops Lalang). Many say that he initiated this operation to maintain his
grip on power as many of his critics had become influential up to that point with some focusing on his
continued support for the entrenchment of Malay rights. However,many say that the overall economic
effects of Mahathir’s policies give him the benefit of much praise. It was also around this time that the first
national car(the Proton Saga) was introduced being the first locally produced car, giving many a sense of
pride that Malaysia could now enjoy a car made by their own people and it became a national icon and has
been beloved ever since.This marked the beginning of the boost in local production and contributed greatly
to the local economy.

Section 6-The 1990s-Financial Crisis to a Rebound to a Political Shakeup

The 1990s were an eventful decade for Malaysia. Starting the decade off with the deaths of both Tun Hussein
Onn and our founding father (Tunku Abdul Rahman) in the political sphere combined with the formal end of
the Communist insurgency had made for a changed atmosphere. Then came the rise of Anwar Ibrahim. In
1993, he became Mahathir's Deputy Prime Minister after winning the Deputy Presidency of UMNO against
Abdul Ghafar Baba, he was seen and expected to succeed Mahathir as prime minister as he frequently
alluded in public to his "son-father" relationship with Mahathir. and he was expected to succeed Mahathir as
prime minister as he frequently alluded in public to his "son-father" relationship with Mahathir. During the
period between May and July of 1997,Mahathir had made Anwar acting Prime Minister while he was on
holiday. The latter used this opportunity to institute policies that direclty conflated Mahathir’s ideas of
governance. When the Asian Financial crisis hit around this time, Anwar supported a bailout plan put out by
the Interational Monetary Fund (IMF). He also instituted an austerity package that cut government spending
by 18%, cut ministerial salaries and deferred major projects. "Mega projects", despite being a cornerstone of
Mahathir's development strategy, were greatly curtailed.

Although many Malaysian companies faced bankruptcy, Anwar declared: "There is no question of any bailout.
The banks will be allowed to protect themselves and the government will not interfere." Anwar advocated a
free-market approach to the crisis, including foreign investment and trade liberalisation. Mahathir however
contrasted Anwar and blamed currency speculators like George Soros for the crisis and supported currency
controls and tighter regulation of foreign investment. This was to start a long chain of disagreements
between the two coming to a head with Anwar’s initial fall from grace. In what the Sydney Morning Herald
termed a "blatantly political fix-up", Anwar was arrested on 20 September 1998 and detained without trial
under the country's controversial Internal Security Act (ISA). Weeks later, Anwar was charged with corruption
for allegedly interfering with his own police investigation. his sodomy trials which would continue into the
next decade. The widespread coverage of his imprisonment and his opposition managed to gain him a wide
traction in Malaysian society kickstarting the so-called Reformasi (Reformation) movement.

Section 7-The 2000s- The Dawn of Political Shifts

When the New Millenium kicked off, there was an aspiration of hope for a better life in the world. This was
duly shared by many Malaysians. However, the stigma from Anwar’s sodomy trials had remained a sour note,
being exacerbated by the black eye incident Anwar suffered after being beaten by the police chief at his trial.
Then came the events of the 11th of September 2001 which killed three Malaysians among the 2600 people
killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, triggering a conversation on global security from
such threats. This created a rather eventful start to the decade. Then, the political landscape had a shakeup
when Mahathir shockingly announced his resignation as Prime Minister in 2003, being succeeded by Abdullah
Badawi. This in turn marked a significant turn in terms of policies. Under the Abdullah administration, the
country moved down to a value-chain economy by developing its inherent strengths in agriculture without
losing its existing manufacturing base. However, Abdullah has been criticised for his handling of the sudden
hikes in the price of petrol and electricity through the restructuring of government subsidies, especially as it
was detrimental to Malaysia's position as a traditional exporter and also in terms of failures to stamp out
widespread corruption. Even though he gained a second term in the election of 2008,the criticisms both
outside and inside (i.e., his own party members) over his actions eventually led him to step down as Prime
Minister in 2009 paving way for his then-Deputy Najib Razak to succeed him.

Section 8-The 2010s-Of Tumults And Shame

When the 2010s arrived, there were a lot of events that unfolded. The decade started with the introduction
of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP),the second trial of Anwar took place and the New
Economic Model (NEM) was introduced among many other events. Then, ex-Prime Minister Najib famously
proclaimed, “You help me, I help you”. Afterwards, the Bersih 2.0 rally in 2011 called for significant electoral
reform. Then, the genesis for many attractive policies such as Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia or BR1M
(nowadays called Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia or BKM) and the startup of the One Malaysia Development
Board or 1MDB ( established to help the country prosper by investment in infrastructure projects for
example) had many in line with Najib’s thinking,they seemed promising. Then, all would change when the
1MDB scandal first broke out in 2015 and was famously first reported in the Wall Street Journal. The
company became the subject of a major international corruption scandal, with evidence pointing to money
laundering, fraud, and theft. A lawsuit filed by United States Department of Justice (DOJ), alleged that at least
US$3.5 billion has been stolen from Malaysia's 1MDB state-owned fund. US attorney-general Jeff Sessions
had described it in an international conference as "kleptocracy at its worst". As of now, the funds recovered
have totalled $1.7 billion and this money is stille being recovered and the cse still being prosecuted. The
prime suspects being Najib himself alongside the infamous financial consultant Jho Low with part
collaboration with Goldman Sachs. This scandal had a profound impact on Malaysian life and it arguably
changed the country forever. Popular protests broke out against the government coming to a flashpoint with
the Bersih 5 rally in 2016 where the yellow shirts as they were called clashed with anti-Bersih and pro-
government supporters known as the Red Shirts led by Jamal Yunos as the former group demanded Najib’s
resignation alongside major electoral reforms. This popular discontent eventually would lead to the general
election of 2018 in which the Opposition(Pakatan Harapan) defeated the long-running government of Barisan
Nasional after the latter had ruled the country ever since independence. This marked a huge political shift in
Malaysia as there were hopes for a more transparent government able to bring about practical change for
the country. With this victory, the head of the opposition Mahathir returned as Prime Minister to lead the
country to a new age.

Section 9-The 2020s

The current decade started out with the sudden fall from grace of the Pakatan Harapan government in
February 2020. The chain of events turned to be tumultuous as semi-secret meetings between various
parties took place in the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, thus giving these shifts the moniker of the Sheraton
Move or Langkah Sheraton in Malay. Divisions in the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition were the catalyst.
Some sources suggest this began due to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad attempting to thwart the
process of handing over power to his designated successor Anwar Ibrahim, as was promised ahead of his
2018 general election victory. Several MPs began discussing forming a new government by claiming majority
seats and support in the Dewan Rakyat (the lower chamber of the bicameral Parliament of Malaysia), without
going through a general election.

They accomplished it through the withdrawal of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) from the
Pakatan Harapan coalition and through the support of several MPs from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) led
by its deputy president Azmin Ali, who left the party. Prime Minister Mahathir then resigned, creating a
power vacuum. After the King called several people to his palace to discuss the situation and try to form a
new government, he announced that a certain Muhyiddin Yassin(one time Deputy Prime Minister under
Najib and former Chief Minister of Johor) was selected to be the new Prime Minister as he had the support of
a majority of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat. Muhyiddin then formed the Perikatan Nasional coaltion to become
the new government. Then a month later,the COVID-19 pandemic was declare by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) and as suh like many countries were put under lockdown measures to control the spread
of the virus amongst Malaysian as cases surged. Many Malaysian had to adapt to the changing circumstances
such as providing education for students at home ( by way of online classes(if the child was a student at a
school) as well as educational programs on TV) and having to perform their duties alongside this (known as
work from home) alongside wearing masks in public as with most countries under lockdown measures with
the frontline workers(such as the medical professionals working to help treat and reduce cases and the
delivery personnel in charge of food deliveries for people who were quarantined at home) doing a lot of the
hard work. As cases fluctuated from time to time with certain points of targeted areas, the measures were
either tightened or loosened for areas depending on the situation. Around this time, a tropical depression
made landfall on the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, bringing torrential downpours throughout the
peninsula in late 2021. The resulting floods affected eight states across the peninsula, and left at least 54
dead and 2 missing. During its furthest extent, it caused the concurrent displacement of more than 71,000
residents, and have affected over 125,000 people overall.

In the political sphere,a change in leadership happened when Muhyidin lost the support of parliament in
February 2021 and resigned shortly thereafter being replaced by Ismail Sabri the President of UMNO after he
managed to gain parliamentary support. He continued with the previous measures with slight changes in
policy to allow for some movement and the gradual return to normality. Then in 2022,the measures were
officially abolished meaning total free movement for all as the virus as to be treated as an endemic diseases.
Later in the year around November of 2022,the Parliament was dissolved and a general election was held.
This was to be the first election in which many youths could vote as the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18
under the Pakatan Harapan government. The outcome resulted in a hung parliament for the first time in
Malaysian history as no major party and/or coalition were able to command a majority of seats in the Dewan
Rakyat. As such,negogiations emerged and the result was a unity government for the first time as both
Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional cooperated to form a new government(in spite of the fact the election
resulted n the latter’s worst ever electoral performance). This would lead to Anwar Ibrahim finally becoming
Prime Minister(as he was the head of Pakatan Harapan) after a long time. From then on,he enacted a new
vision for Malaysia called Malaysia Madani. MADANI is the acronym for the core values: keMampanan
(Sustainability), kesejAhteraan (Prosperity), Daya cipta (Innovation), hormAt (Respect), keyakiNan (Trust) and
Ihsan (Compassion). The concept mainly targets the following eight domains

• Economy and • Community

finance • Culture
• Legislation • Urban
• Institution • Rural
• Education
This is part of many ideals that Anwar aims to achieve during the government’s tenure.

Conclusion: To close off this outlook,we ought to look at the events described here with an objective
viewpoint in that we are to accept the changes that have come to this country over the years ever since
independence and move on. Of course,societal changes have also been present as new ideas and behaviours
pop up here and there and with it come the perceptions of many Malaysians about how we are doing today.
The climate crisis has played a key role in our development as noted by the recent floods having implored us
to do more to mitigate the effects of global warming. However different our opinions may be,we should at
least take a moment to acknowledge that we have come so far in our history and that it was through the
combination of the events described here and ourselves that have given us the country we call Malaysia
today. We must also take into mind the sad presence of certain reactionary rhetoric from some sections of
society we are to resist so as to not erode the product of our working. With this in mind,let us honour our
country in what we have achieved and hope for the best in the future.

Sources:Own research with certain paragraphs adapted from Wikipedia