Independence Day 1957
31 August 1957 On the night of 30 August 1957, crowds gathered at the Dataran merdeka Padang in Kuala Lumpur to witness the handover of power from the British. Prime Minister-designate Tunku Abdul Rahman arrived at 11:58 p.m. and joined members of the Alliance Party 's youth divisions in observing two minutes of darkness. [2] On the stroke of midnight, the lights were switched back on, and the Union Flag in the square was lowered. [3] The new Flag of Malaya was raised as the national anthem Negaraku was played. This was followed by seven chants of "Merdeka" by the crowd. [2] [3] Tunku Abdul Rahman later gave a speech hailing the ceremony as the "greatest moment in the life of the Malayan people". [2] Before giving the address to the crowd, he was given a necklace by representatives of the Alliance Party youth in honour of this great occasion in history, with a map...