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Flag of Malaysia

The national flag of Malaysia, also known as the Stripes of Glory (Malay: Jalur Gemilang; Jawi: جالور ݢميلڠ‎),[1] is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities.[2] The crescent represents Islam, the country's state religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers,[3] the red stripes represent bravery and the white stripes represent purity.[4][5] It is in the stars and stripes family of flags.

Construction sheet

Flag construction sheet
Flag construction sheet

History

Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Flag ratio: 1:2. Flag of Malaya in use from 1950 to 1963.

Selection

In 1949, a year after the Federation of Malaya was created, the Federal Legislative Council called for a contest to design a new national flag. The competition attracted 373 entries, three of which were put forward to the public in a poll held by The Malay Mail.[6]

The first flag had a ring of 11 white stars on a blue background, with two red Malay kris (daggers) in the middle. The second was the same as the first but with two concentric rings of 5 and 6 stars. The third had 11 blue and white stripes, and a red field in the top-left corner with a white crescent and five-pointed star on it. This last design was chosen as the winner.

In December 1949, the Federal Legislative Council decided to make changes to the winning design. At the suggestion of statesman Onn Jaafar, the red and blue colours were swapped, the crescent and star were changed from white to yellow, and the star was given eleven points.[7][8] The final version of the Malayan flag was approved by king George VI on 19 May 1950 and was first raised in front of the Sultan of Selangor's residence on 26 May 1950.[9] On 31 August 1957, it was raised upon independence at Merdeka Square in place of the British Union Flag.

Symbolism

As the flag was finalised for official use, the significance of the design were given as follows:[10]

The designer

Mohamed upon receiving the Sultan Ibrahim Diamond Jubilee Medal in 1955.
Flag of Johor
Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Flag of Johor

The Malayan flag was designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old architect working for the Public Works Department (JKR) in Johor Bahru, in the state of Johor. He entered the national flag design competition with two designs that he had completed in two weeks. The first was a green flag with blue kris in the middle, surrounded by 15 white stars. The second, which became one of the three finalists, was said to be inspired by the flag of Johor, but with five white stripes added to the blue field.[8]

Mohamed Hamzah died just short of his 75th birthday on 19 February 1993 in Jalan Stulang Baru, Kampung Melayu Majidee, Johor.[11]

Modifications

The Malaysian flag flying above the Tourism Malaysia office in Trafalgar Square, London. The flag of Uganda is seen by its side over Uganda House.

Following the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the design of the Malayan flag was modified to reflect and honour the new states in the federation.

Three additional stripes were added to the existing flag to make it 14 and the star was given 14 points to reflect the federation of the 11 states in the Malay peninsula plus Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore; the design remained the same even after Singapore's expulsion from the federation two years later. When Kuala Lumpur was designated a Federal Territory on 1 February 1974, the additional stripe and the point in the star were appropriated to represent this new addition to the federation. Eventually, with the addition of two other federal territories, Labuan in 1984 and Putrajaya in 2001, the fourteenth stripe and point in the star came to be associated with the federal territories in general.[12]

In 1997, when Malaysians were invited to name the flag, then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad picked the name Jalur Gemilang to project the country's onward drive toward continuous growth and success.

Mark of respect

During the National Day celebrations, everyone is encouraged to fly the Jalur Gemilang at their homes, office buildings, shops and corporate premises.

Inappropriate use

The Malaysian flag is subject to the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963; any act that insults the flag such as waving the flag upside down can be punished with a maximum fine of RM20,000 or a maximum imprisonment of three years or both.

Historical flags

Flag anthem

The flag anthem is written as dedication and pride of the Malaysian national flag. It is performed on Hari Merdeka, the nation's independence day on 31 August every year. The original anthem Benderaku was written by Malaysian songwriter Tony Fonseka. After the flag was given the name Jalur Gemilang, the flag anthem was updated in 1997 to reflect this change. This was then followed by an introduction of a new flag anthem, with arrangements by Malaysian songwriter Pak Ngah and lyrics by Malaysian songwriter Siso Kopratasa.

Other ensigns and flags

Government vessels use the Jalur Gemilang as the state ensign. The following is a table of the other ensigns used in Malaysia with the national flag inside.

Federal Star (Bintang Persekutuan)

The Federal Star is similar in concept of Australia's Commonwealth Star in that it symbolises the unity of states in the Malaysian federation and its Federal government, featuring 14 points to represent the federation's 13 states and the federal territories. It is also used on the Royal Malaysian Air Force roundel, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) flag [zh] and the former United Malayan Banking Corporation (UMBC) logo.

The Patani Malayu National Revolutionary Front, a Southern Thai Malay separatist group involved in the South Thailand insurgency, originally adopted an independence flag that incorporated a crescent and 15-point variation of the Federal Star on its flag to represent the southernmost Thai provinces' closer tie to Malay and Muslim-majority Malaysia over that of Thailand.

See also

Related flags

Notes

  1. ^ Mohamed Hamzah designed the flag of Malaya. The current flag is an adaptation of Hamzah's original design.

References

  1. ^ "Malaysian Flag and Coat of Arms". myGovernment Malaysian Government's official portal. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Malaysia Flag". TalkMalaysia.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  3. ^ Flags Of The World Malaysia: Description Archived 20 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Flag of Malaysia". MyGOV. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Bendera Malaysia – Maksud Warna, Lambang, Muat Turun Gambar" (in Malay). eCentral. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  6. ^ Sonia Ramachandran. Golden Merdeka Memories: National flag chosen by people in one of country's first public polls. New Straits Times. 18 August 2006.
  7. ^ "Federal Flag". The Straits Times. 6 March 1950. p. 5. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2018., via "The History and Design Chronology of Jalur Gemilang" (PDF). Malaysia Design Archive. 2012. p. 16. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  8. ^ a b Alan Teh Leam Seng (20 September 2021). "Birth of the flag that unites us". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Federation Flag Hoisted at Istana". The Malay Mail. 27 May 1950.
  10. ^ Muhamad Razif Nasruddin; Zarul Nazli bin Zulkhurnain (2012). "The History and Design Chronology of Jalur Gemilang" (PDF). Malaysia Design Archive. Make Condition Design. p. 23.
  11. ^ "Sejarah Bendera Malaysia". Malay Text. 29 August 2009. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  12. ^ "MyGOV - The Government of Malaysia's Official Portal". www.malaysia.gov.my. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.

Further reading

External links