In Malaysian history, 31 August is the historical important and glorious day. Malaysia achieved its independence on 31 August in 1957. Every year, this day is celebrated with great fanfare. This day is known as "Hari Merdeka", which is a symbol of Malaysia's identity, unity, struggle and sacrifice.
Behind Malaysia's independence lies a thorny history of long struggle. The Malay Peninsula was under foreign rule for a long time. Later, they achieved independence with political awareness, economic influence, and the hope of a free life.
In 1511, Portuguese navigator "Afonso da Albuquerque" conducted a naval expedition to the region, which was the first European expedition to the Malay Peninsula. Various European powers wanted to colonize Malaysia, mainly for economic reasons.
In 17th century, British came Malaysia for the first time. They settled at Penang in Malaysia for the first time. The British established full British rule in the Malay Peninsula in 1819. The British colonized Malaysia for their economic gain and ruled it for a long time.
After World War II, Malaysia became a battlefield for the Japanese invasion. The British, with the help of China and Russia, mounted resistance. After the war, the Malayan Union was formed, which gave rise to a sense of independence among the people of the region.
Later, the locals have been protesting against British rule. After a long struggle, on August 31, 1957, Malaysian political leader Tunku Abdul Rahman declared independence in front of thousands of people at a historic conference in Kuala Lumpur. This day has been remembered in history.
After independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman became the country's first Prime Minister and parliamentary democracy was established. Later, the government focused on the economy. Poverty was the main problem. As a result, the government focused on rural development, education, agriculture, and employment in the country. As a result, the standard of living of the people began to improve.Subsequently, the government gradually established schools, colleges, universities, and hospitals. As a result, educational opportunities increased and a skilled workforce was created. Improvements in healthcare also increased the average life expectancy of the people. Malaysia became rapid industrialization and infrastructure development, particularly between the 1980s and 1990s, transforming Kuala Lumpur into a modern city and established the country as an important economic power in Southeast Asia.
After independence, the country became a member of the United Nations on 17 September 1957 and the country became a member of international politics. Later in 1967, it became a member of ASEAN and is playing an important role in economic cooperation in Southeast Asia. The country became a member of OIC and Commonwealth and is playing an important role in international politics.
A country's independence cannot be achieved by fighting alone, protecting independence is also a great achievement. The role of the young generation in maintaining the standard of independence is immense. Only they can protect the country's independence and make the country more advanced. The biggest role of the young in protecting independence is: to develop themselves by making themselves skilled and well-educated and to spread awareness of education among others, to always be aware of maintaining national unity, to suppress corruption with a strong hand, and above all, to abandon personal interests and devote themselves to the love of the country.
