Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia) is a public holiday that commemorates the formation and establishment of the Malaysian Federation—Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore were all united into one country. The national public holiday has been celebrated on the 16th of September every year since 2010.
Malaya achieved independence from the British on 31 August 1957. Six years later, Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister of Singapore, called Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaya, to propose the unification of Brunei, Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore. However, Borneo and Brunei protested this unification process and withdrew. Meanwhile, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak demanded several terms from the federal government to maintain their rights.
The unification talks were settled by 31 August 1963, the same date as Malaya’s Independence Day. Unfortunately, the official unification was delayed when Malaya’s neighbors, Indonesia and the Philippines, contested the formation of Malaysia. The Philippines claimed that North Borneo was part of its territory while Indonesia accused Malaysia of helping the British to take over the Southeast Asian region. The United Nations sent a team to investigate these claims and to ensure that North Borneo and Sarawak really wanted to join Malaysia. The official unification of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and North Borneo (Sabah) was finalized on 16 September 1963. Singapore was expelled from the federation on 9 August 1965.
The Bank Negara issued two commemorative coins related to Malaysian Day celebrations.
The 1-ringgit coin from 2013 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Malaysian Federation and Malaysia Day. It is made of Nordic gold, weighs 8.5 g, and has a diameter of 30 mm. Its obverse side shows the national coat of arms and an outline map of the country. Its reverse side features the flag and the 50th anniversary logo.
The 10-ringgit coin from 2013 also commemorates the the 50th anniversary of the Malaysian Federation. It is a silver coin that weighs 31.1 g and has a diameter of 40.7 mm. Its obverse side shows the national coat of arms and an outline map of the country. Its reverse side shows a colored flag and the 50th anniversary logo.
.jpg){kind=link}