SYMBOLS OF

MALAYSIA
PREPARED BY:
DR. FAIZAH MOHD FAKHRUDDIN
NATIONAL FLAG:
JALUR GEMI-
LANG
NATIONAL FLAG: JALUR GEMILANG
Gemilang (pronounced guh-mee-lung) –
A Malay word meaning bright, brilliant,
resplendent or excellent.

Jalur Gemilang represents the excel-

lence of the people and the nation of
Malaysia
in every field, be it at national or
international level.

Jalur Gemilang symbolizes a nation and

people who are hard-working, patriotic,
strong, courageous and prepared to
The flag of Malaysia is a combination of
traditional Islamic symbols and the
representation of all states under the
federation.

The 14 stripes and 14 points of the star

represent the equal status of the 14
member states, namely Johor, Kedah,
Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan,
Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Perlis,
Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and
Terengganu in the Federal Government.
Red signifies strength, bravery and
courage in facing challenges.

White symbolizes honesty and integrity.

The dark blue canton represents the

unity and harmony of Malaysians.

The crescent represents Islam as the

dominant religion.

The yellow colour of the crescent and

star is the royal colour of the Rulers.
 THE HISTORY OF JALUR GEMILANG
• On 29 November 1949, the Council of Rulers and the Federal
Legislative Council had held the national-level competition to choose
the design of the flag for the government that would be constituted.
• In the competition, Mr. Mohamad Bin Hamzah’s creation (architect
from the government of Johor) was one of the three shortlisted
designs for the new Federation of Malaya flag and was selected as
the winner from polls by The Malay Mail on November 29, 1949.
• His design was inspired by the Johor flag, which was his home state
as well as incorporating the religious heritage through the
Uthmaniyyah star & moon, and Nusantara heritage through
the incorporation of the stripes from the Getih-Getah Samudera,
which comes from the Majapahit empire.
• There were several amendments done on the design & was being
agreed and endorsed by the Council of the Rulers (Mesyuarat Majlis
Raja-Raja) on 22 and 23 February 1950.
• On 19 April 1950, the Federal Legislative Council had approved the
proposal tabled by the Acting Chief Secretary.
• The design of the flag had obtained the approval from King George VI on
19 May 1950.
• The flag of the Federation of Malaya was flown for the first time in the
compound of the Sultan of Selangor’s Palace with the attendance
of DYMM Malay Rulers and Officers of King George VI on 26 May 1950.
• After the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the flag was
modified in line with the inclusion of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore into

the Federation of Malaya.

• Although Singapore was not part of Malaysia in 1965, Malaysia still
retained the features of the flag.
• After flying proud of the flag since 1950, on the evening of 31 August
1997, Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, who was then Prime Minister, had

carved another historical moment when he announced a new name for

the Malaysian flag, JALUR GEMILANG.
 FLAGS OF
MALAYSIAN
STATES &
FEDERAL
TERRITORIES
 EMBLEM OF
MALAYSIA:
JATA NEGARA
EMBLEM OF MALAYSIA

The National Emblem and Coat of Arms of

Malaysia (Jata Negara in Malay) is a coat of
arms comprising a shield or escutcheon,
two tigers for supporters, a crescent and
fourteen point star for a crest and a motto.

As the Malaysian emblem descended from

the coat of arms of the Federated Malay
States under British colonial rule, the
current emblem of the Malaysian state
resembles European heraldic practices.
• The National Emblem of Malaysia consists of a shield guarded by two
supporters as rampant tigers.
• The shield is topped by a crest consisting of a yellow crescent with a
14-pointed "federal star", and includes a motto, depicted as a banner,
at the bottom.
• The yellow colour of the crest, a crescent and a 14-pointed federal
star, symbolizes the country's monarchy.
• The crescent also represents Islam as the official religion while the
federal star represents the thirteen states and the Federal Territories
of Malaysia.
• Originally, the fourteen-pointed star represented the original fourteen
states of Malaysia, which included Singapore.
• It was not changed when Singapore left the federation, but it has
generally been accepted that the 14th point represents the Federal
Territories.
Supporters (tigers)
The two rampant tigers supporting the shield are traditional
Malay symbols. They are retained from the earlier armorial
ensign of the Federation of Malaya, and prior to that of the
Federated Malay States. They symbolize strength and courage.
Motto (banner)
The motto of the arms, located below the shield, consists of a
banner with the phrase "Unity is Strength" (Bersekutu Bertambah
Mutu) written in both romanized Malay and Jawi. The original
English phrase was replaced by romanized Malay some time after
independence.
NATIONAL AN-
THEM: NE-
GARAKU
 The national anthem was created in 1957 and the selection of
the song was made by the former Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul
Rahman Putra Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim
Shah.
 The rhythm of the “Negaraku” was quoted from the rhythm of
the state anthem of Perak.
 The state anthem of Perak had the original idea of the song
“Terang Bulan” which is a song favoured by Sultan Abdullah,
the Sultan of Perak, while he was in exile on the island of
Seychelles.
 “Negaraku” emphasises loyalty and unity for national progress.
 This song serves to raise patriotism and love for the homeland.
 The idea to create the national anthem arose when the country
was then preparing to celebrate its Independence Day.
 The national anthem should be played during the proclamation
of Independence which was set on 31 August 1957.
 Thus, in February 1957, an official anthem creation contest
was held.
 However, the four final songs that were shortlisted were
rejected by the Special Committee of the National Anthem
Selection (JKPLK), led by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
 Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj instead recommended the
state Anthem of Perak as the basis for creating a national
anthem of Malaysia.
 The proposal had been agreed by the other members of
JKPLK.
 The Score for the song “Negaraku” was provided by Alfonso Soliano (leader
of the Radio Orchestra of Malaya), D.S.P Croff (Music Director, the Royal
Police Band), Captain Lenthall (Music Director, the Malay Military Band,
Port Dickson) and A. T Reed (General Director of Radio Malaya).
 The lyrics of the national anthem, “Negaraku” was prepared by a Special
Committee led by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj with the agreement of
the Malay Sultans.
 The national anthem, “Negaraku” was heard for the first time after the stroke
of midnight on 31 August 1957, at the Selangor Club field.
 That historical evening witnessed the Union Jack was lowered and replaced
with the flag of the Malay Peninsula, accompanied by the national anthem,
“Negaraku”.
 Starting from this moment, the song “Negaraku” continued to be the national
anthem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMDlAXdyKZM
 NATIONAL PHI-
LOSOPHY:
RUKUN NEGARA
 The National Principles (Rukun Negara) was declared on 31
August 1970 to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the
Independence of Malaysia.
 It was introduced following the May 13 incident in 1969 which
weaken unity among the races in Malaysia.
 It was formed with the main purpose of forming a strong unity
& serve as a guideline in the country's nation-building efforts.
 The principles contained clearly the key to harmony and unity
for the sake of the success and stability of the country.
 It was proclaimed on August 31, 1970 by the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong IV.
Indeed, our country Malaysia aspires to
achieve a greater unity for all her
people:
DECLARATION OF RUKUN NEGARA
• Maintaining a democratic way of life
• Creating a just society in which the
wealth of the nation shall be equi- Modern Presen-
tably
shared
tation
• Ensuring a liberal approach to her
rich & diverse cultural traditions, and;
• Building a progressive society which
shall be oriented to modern science
&technology.
Now therefore, the people of Malaysia,
pledge to concentrate the whole of
Modern Power-
their energy and efforts to achieve Point
these ambitions based on the following
principles:

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LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY
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MUTUAL RESPECT AND GOOD BE-
HAVIOUR
 NATIONAL
FLOWER:
BUNGA RAYA
 At the end of 1958, the Ministry of Agriculture had submitted seven
types of flowers to be selected as the national flower.
 The flowers were bunga raya, bunga kenanga, bunga melur, bunga
cempaka, bunga teratai, bunga mawar and bunga tanjung.
 To choose the type of flower which may be selected as the national
flower; a study was carried out by the Department of Information to
get the reaction of the public.
 This research was conducted by mobile units from the Department
across the urban and rural areas in Peninsular Malaysia.
 The study found that residents of the East Coast had chosen roses
(bunga mawar) while the West Coast residents had chosen jasmine
(bunga melur).
 However, in the end, the Government decided to choose hibiscus
(bunga raya) based on the flower which was already well-known
across the country, the colours and interesting shapes, a name that
was similar across the country, readily available nationwide, and
most importantly, would not become the national flower of any other
country in the world at that time.
 Based on these criteria, on 28 July 1960, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra
Al-Haj declared hibiscus (bunga raya) as the national flower.
 Today, the selection of the hibiscus as the national flower seems so
accurate because there are five petals on it which represent a
breakdown of the five aspects of the National Principles of the Rukun
Negara, and as a symbol of unity while its colour (red) represents
courage.
THANK YOU