YES, it is going to be a long weekend for the people of Malaysia. The roads will be filled with cars and the planes will be packed with people.

A question was posed to me: What is Merdeka Day to you? Well, we have mixed feelings as we in Sabah and Sarawak were never part of the Federation of Malaya established on August 31, 1957. We were then still part of the British Crown colony. On September 16, 1963, the Federation of Malaya, the States of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore formed Malaysia. Singapore declared independence in 1966. 

The Federation of Malaya was never colonised by the British but remained under Malay rule. The British helped to build the economy on behalf of the Malay rulers, who received military assistance and protection from the British Crown. Therefore, the unfederated and federated states each had a British adviser or resident. 

Penang, Malacca and Singapore were part of the Straits Settlement, with Singapore being the crown jewel of the British Empire in the Far East. The Johor and Pahang sultanate were part of the British protectorate under the 1824 Anglo Dutch Treaty. The states of Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and part of Penang and Langkawi were bound by the 1909 Treaty of Siam. 

In 1946, the British proposed for the Malay states to come together in the Malayan Union, thus stripping the Malay rulers of their power after the devastating World War 2. Not surprisingly, the rulers did not consent to it after initially agreeing to it.

After an intense campaign by Umno, the British agreed to renegotiate with the Malay rulers. The task began with the drafting of the Federation of Malaya Agreement in 1948, leading to the drawing up of the  Federal Constitution under the Reid Commission in 1956, and finally the Independence Bill of August 31, 1957.

This gave rise to the Malayan constitutional monarchy, in which the Malay rulers hands over trusteeship of the country to the federal government under the Westminster system. The power of the monarch is limited but crucial to the separation of powers between the legislature, executive and judiciary. 

The Federation of Malaya would not have been possible without the sacrifice of the Malay rulers.

On the eve of the anniversary of Malaysia’s independence, let us salute our rulers with “Daulat Tunku”. 

Have a great weekend and be safe. – August 30, 2022.

Remy Majangkim reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.