To the rest of the world, 31st of August may come and go every year as imperceptibly as the changing of the seasons. To Malaysian, howerver, it is a date of deep significance. It was on this date, in 1957, that Malaysia( Then known as Tanah Melayu to the Malays and Malaya to others) made history as it flew the flag of independent Malaya in place of the Union Jack.

The Malayan Declaration of Independence was officially proclaimed on 31 August 1957, by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Chief Minister of the Federation of Malaya. In a ceremony held at the Merdeka Stadium, the proclamation document was read out at exactly 0930 a.m in the presence of thousands of Malayan citizens, Malay Rulers and foreign dignitaries.