Reference List

http://tunkuabdulrahman.com/proclamation-of-independence

http://www.malaysiahistory.net/v2/?p=155

http://tunkuabdulrahman.com/timeline

http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Abdul_Rahman

http://www.biography.com/people/tunku-abdul-rahman-9174103

PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL. PRAISE BE TO GOD, THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE AND MAY THE BLESSINGS AND PEACE OF GOD UPON HIS MESSENGERS

WHEREAS the time has now arrived when the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu will assume the status of a free independent and sovereign nation among the nations of the World.

AND WHEREAS by an agreement styled the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1957, between Her Majesty the Queen and Their Highness the Rulers of the Malay States it was agreed that the Malay States of lohore, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Trengganu and Perak and the former Settlements of Malacca and Penang should as from the 31st day of August, 1957, be formed into a new Federation of States by the name of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu.

AND WHEREAS it was further agreed between the parties to the said agreement that the Settlements of Malacca and Penang aforesaid should as from the said date cease to form part of Her Majesty's dominions and that Her Majesty should cease to exercise any sovereignty over them.

AND WHEREAS it was further agreed by the parties aforesaid that the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, and all other agreements subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and Their Highness the Rulers or anyone of them immediately before the said date should be revoked as from that date and that all powers and jurisdiction of Her Majesty or of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in or in respects of the Settlements aforesaid or the Malay States or the Federation as a whole should come to an end.

AND WHEREAS effect has been given in the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1957, by Her Majesty the Queen, Their Highnesses the Rulers, the Parliament of the United Kingdom and Legislatures of the Federation and of the Malay States.

AND WHEREAS a constitution for the Government of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu has been established as the supreme law thereof.

AND WHEREAS by the Federal Constitution aforesaid provision is made to safeguard the rights and prerogatives of Their Highness the Rulers and the fundamental rights and liberties of the people and to provide for the peaceful and orderly advancement of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu as a constitutional monarchy based on Parliamentary democracy.

AND WHEREAS the Federal Constitution aforesaid having been approved by an Ordinance of the Federal Legislatures, by the Enactments of the Malay States and by resolutions of the Legislatures of Malacca and Penang has come into force on the 31 st day of August, 1957, aforesaid.

Now in the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful, I, TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN PUTRA IBNI AL-MARHUM SULTAN ABDUL HAMID HALIMSHAH, PRIME MINISTER OF THE PERSEKUTUAN T ANAH MELAYU, with the concurrence and approval of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf of the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu that as from the thirty first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty seven, the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu comprising the States of lohore, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Trengganu, Perak, Malacca and Penang is and with God's blessing shall be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nation.

Fight for an Independence

After winning the first national election decisively in 1955, the Tunku led a team of negotiators to London to discuss Malaya’s independence with the British Colonial Office.

Trivia of Negotiating Independence 

           Year 1956

• Accompanied by 4 representatives, Tunku leads them (the men of Merdeka Mission) into Lancaster House in London on January 16.
• Signs the Merdeka Agreement with Secretary of State Lennox-Boyd.Announces over Radio Malaysia on April 2 that all negotiations with the communists are closed and he also rejecting Chin Peng's letter to reopen talks.
• In June, Tunku and the Alliance Council submit memorandum to the Reid Commissions (formed by the Secretary of State  ) in order to draft Malaysia's first constitution.

          Year 1957

• After the publication of Reid Report, Mac Gillivray form a team to work on the final recommendation to British government.
• 10 July, presents the final constitutions to Federal Legislative Council.
•  August 30, along with other Alliance leaders, he stands at the flagpole of Dataran Merdeka when the Union Jack is lowered and the new Federation Flag is raised.
• Receive the Constitutional Instrument from Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester.
• He then raises his right arm and shouts Merdeka! to which the crowd responds Merdeka!

First Step to Independent Malaya

After returning to Kedah, Tunku was appointed as district officer in Kulim where he had met an Indian astrologer who told him that he will be the first Prime Minister of Malaya.
Tunku is one of the main figure in United Malayan National Organization (UMNO) led by Datuk Onn Jaafar but after he resigned after his proposal to make UMNO open to non-Malays was rejected. Tunku was anxious that he will be not accepted in UMNO's member in Johor and the supporters of former president plus Datuk Onn had set up a multi-racial Parti Negara (National Party) and other competitor is the Pan-Islamic Party of Malaya or PAS.

Tunku willing to sell two of his houses as a source of fund to tour the state branches on UMNO and attend rallies.The unity of UMNO and MCA in the first democratic elcetion as an Alliance Party led them to win nine out of 12 seats.In 1955,Alliance Part won 51 from 52 seats for the first national election on the Federal Legislative Council that then appointed him as chief minister.The process of negotiating independence began when he appointed 10 member of cabinet setting up a transition administration and drawing up a Federal Constitution relevant to the disparate needs of the people of Malaya.


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Baling Talks

Tunku had met with Chin Peng , the leader of Malayan Communist Party after winning the national election in Baling,Kedah.The meeting is to make sure Chin Peng stop the party's armed insurrection.

Chin Peng in return wants the Malayan government to recognize his party's legitimacy as a political entity.The talks does not achieve its goal as Chin Peng refuse to stop his party armed insurrection.However, the need for independence under the Alliance formula of racial cooperation became even more urgent and the main target of Tunku now is to raise Malaya as an independent country.

Education Background

Tunku's formal education begin when he was six years old in the only Malay elementary school in Alor Star. Tunku's other also sent him to English Medium school that are newly opened by teacher named Mohamad Iskandar. After realizing that Tunku does not have any improvement and progress in his study,his brother Tunku Yusuf who just returned from England decided to take Tunku with him to Bangkok by sea from Singapore in 1913.

His brother spent his time on military operations against bandits while Tunku was admitted to Debsirin School (lesson are taught in Siamese).But God loves his brother more,Tunku Yusuf ,had contracted with pneumonia in the jungle and died on his return to the Siamese capital.His mother then sent him to Penang Free School in 1916, the place where he began to develop his interest in studies. Tunku had won scholarship to further his study in Cambridge University in the young age of 16.

After about a year,Tunku realized that he had make a very slow progress in his studies.He then being taught and live with Mr Basil Atkinson, an experienced tutor who responsible to make him prepared to sit for university entrance examinations known as "Littlego".He manage to obtain high mark for all his papers with a Pass for the whole examination.Kedah Regent had instructed Tunku to study Law at Cambridge University but Tunku decided to enter his name for a Pass Degree instead.Tunku sat for his examination in 1924 at the end of his second year to pass in his B.A and then sailed to Singapore for five years before he sailed to home.

But then he was sent back to Cambridge to obtain an Honors Degree in law however he had failed for Part One of the Bar Exam and causing him to fail for the whole exam.

Born of a Warrior

For my first entry, I would like to share our Father of Independence background. I find it is quite interesting getting to know our Independence warrior background. As a beginning, I would like to share the journey of Tunku Abdul Rahman during his childhood.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj is the seventh prince of Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah,the twenty fourth Sulatan of Kedah and Che Manjalara, which is the fourth wife of Sultan Abdul Hamid Shah. Tunku was born on February 8, 1903 in Alor Star, the capital of the state of Kedah. Tunku and his other siblings live in the pagoda with his mother, Che Manjalara. During that time, cholera and malaria had been a common disease and it had killed two of Tunku’s brother and sister (died from cholera) while Tunku himself suffer from malaria until he left Malaya to London in 1920.Tunku is a bright boy, he really loves football and horse racing until ‘Pesta Bola Merdeka’ under his intiative founded in 1957 which led him to become the first President of Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Below are some Tunku's involvement in sport:

• Late 1930s =>Vice President of Kedah Football Association
• 1949 => President of Selangor Football Association
• President of Football Association of Malaysia for 20 years
• He introduced a competition for those under-18 years old such as thePiala FAM (FAM Cup) and the Piala Rahman (Rahman Cup).
• 1957 => was elected as the first president of Asian Football Association (AFC), a post he held until 1976.

Tunku Abdul Rahman

This blog are made in order to fulfill the requirement of my assignment on Digital and Mobile Communication (DNMC). I had chosen to write about the journey of Tunku Abdul Rahman in bringing independence to Malaysia.

As we all know, Tunku Abdul Rahman is the Father of Independence. He is responsible to bring Malaysia from a colonized country into an independence country where Malaysia citizen will lead their own government.

Objective of the blog:

•      To share the background of Tunku Abdul Rahman during his leadership.
•      To bring the spirit of patriotism and appreciate the freedom of our country.
•      To let the reader realize how hard to get the freedom and create awareness in them         to       keep our country in freedom.