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©New
Straits Times (Used by permission)
KUALA LUMPUR: This Sunday, Malaysians will celebrate the 51st anniversary of the
country's independence.
With the event only days away, the Malaysian flag, Jalur
Gemilang, can be seen flying proudly along streets, apart from government and
public buildings, houses as well as commercial complexes and premises here and
in other towns nationwide.
Malaysians, in general, understand the meaning of the colours and features of
the national flag but not many know how the flag came about.
According to the National Archives, the flag of the Federation of Malaya was
officially unveiled on May 26, 1950.
With the consent of the Malay Rulers, a special committee was set up to organise
a competition to choose a design deemed suitable for the official flag of
Malaya.
The competition drew 373 entries. Out of these, only three
made it to the final list and were presented to the Malay Rulers for a decision.
On April 19, 1950, on the advice of the Federal Legislative Council and with the
consent of the Malay Rulers, the design of the existing national flag was chosen
as the official flag of the Federation of Malay States.
Initially, the colour of the flag's star and crescent was white but on the
advice of the Malay Rulers, this was switched to yellow to mark the royal colour.
On May 26, 1950, the flag made its first official appearance when it was
unveiled at the Sultan of Selangor's palace in Kuala Lumpur.
Among those present at the ceremony were the Sultan of Selangor and
representatives of Malay Rulers like Abdul Wahab Abdul Aziz (Perak Menteri Besar),
Datuk Mahmud Mat (Pahang Menteri Besar), Datuk Onn Jaafar (Johor Menteri Besar),
Nik Ahmad Kamil Mahmud (Kelantan Menteri Besar), Raja Ahmad Raja Endut (Perlis
Menteri Besar), Tunku Ismail Tunku Yahya (Kedah Menteri Besar) and Datuk Abdul
Malek Yusuf (Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar).
At 9.38am that day, the British High Commissioner of Malaya, Sir Henry Gurney,
hoisted the federation flag on behalf of the state dignitaries.
From that moment, Malaya had its own flag that became the pride of the nation
and its citizens.
According to the study by the National Archives and based on documents of the
Clerk of Councils, the Council Chamber, Kuala Lumpur as well as from the Johor
Public Works Department, it was believed that the designer of the federation
flag was Mohamed Hamzah, an architect with the Johor government.
The flag was renamed the Malaysian Flag in conjunction with the creation of
Malaysia in 1963. The 14 red and white stripes signify the 14 states in Malaysia
while the star bears 14 tips. There was no change in colour from the original
flag.
In 1997, the cabinet decided to name the flag Jalur Gemilang, a name for all
Malaysians to treasure, respect and be proud of.
The then prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad officially
named the flag Jalur Gemilang at 11.58pm on Aug 30, 1997, at Merdeka Square,
here. -- Bernama
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