MERDEKA! (Independence Day!)

31st August 2006 marks the 49th year of Malaysia's independence from British colonialism and the day the joyful, triumphant shouts of “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!” resonated throughout the nation as Malaya's first Prime Minister, Allahyarham Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on a podium at Merdeka Square doing the same.
The name Malaya was then changed to Malaysia when the country was officially made a federation of 13 states including Sabah and Sarawak. Article 1(1) of the Federal Constitution states that "The federation shall be known, in Malay and English, as Malaysia". Although Singapore broke away and became a nation of its own in 1965, the rest of the states have remained firmly together, combining to make Malaysia the harmonious melting pot of cultures it is today.