Federation of Malaya
Malaysia, 1948–1963. Draft, not yet reviewed
Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It comprised eleven states, nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settlements, Penang and Malacca. Malaya became fully sovereign on 31 August 1957, and on 16 September 1963, the federation was superseded by Malaysia when it united with Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak. Due to opposition from Malay nationalists, the Union was disbanded and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the symbolic positions of the rulers of the Malay states and introduced greater restrictions on the attainment of citizenship status.
Seat of power: Kuala Lumpur
Rulers
Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, 1957–1960
He was the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan from 1933, and the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the Federation of Malaya from 1957, until his death in 1960.
Portrait of Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan: anonymity, Public domain, file
Syed Putra of Perlis
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, 1960–1965
He was the Raja of Perlis from 1945 until his death in 2000, and the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from 1960 to 1965.
Portrait of Syed Putra of Perlis: Istana Negara, Public domain, file
Hisamuddin Alam Shah of Selangor
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, 1960–1960
He was Sultan of Selangor from 1938 to 1942, later from 1945, and the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong of the Federation of Malaya from 14 April, until his death on 1 September 1960.
Portrait of Hisamuddin Alam Shah of Selangor: Istana Negara, Public domain, file
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Culture
- Prior to its independence, the government of the Federation of Malaya was headed by a British high commissioner with executive powers, assisted and advised by the Federation of Malaya Executive Council and the Federation of Malaya Legislative Council.
- Since then, the Independence Square has been the usual venue for the annual Independence Day Parade.
- In 1880, the state capital of Selangor was moved from Klang to Kuala Lumpur by the colonial administration.
Picture
At Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur, the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957.
Image: Haakon S. Krohn, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.