26 May 1950; 75 years ago (1950-05-26)(original 11-point star and 11 stripes) 16 September 1963; 62 years ago (1963-09-16)(current 14-point star and 14 stripes)
Design
Fourteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white; in the canton, a yellow crescent and fourteen-point star on a blue field
Thenational flag ofMalaysia, also known as theStripe of Glory (Jalur Gemilang, also "Stripe of Excellence"[1][2]) is composed of a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along thefly and a bluecanton bearing acrescent and a 14-point star known as theBintang Persekutuan (Federal Star). The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the13 member states and the federal territories, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities.[3] Thecrescent representsIslam, thecountry'sstate religion; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of theMalay rulers,[4] the red stripes represent bravery and the white stripes represent purity.[5][6] It is in thestars and stripes family of flags.
In 1949, a year after theFederation of Malaya was created, theFederal 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 byThe Malay Mail.[7]
The first flag had a ring of 11 white stars on a blue background, with two red Malaykris (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.
First proposed flag
Second proposed flag
Third proposed flag
In December 1949, the Federal Legislative Council decided to make changes to the winning design. At the suggestion of statesmanOnn 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.[8][9] The final version of the Malayan flag was approved by kingGeorge VI on 19 May 1950 and was first raised in front ofthe Sultan of Selangor's residence on 26 May 1950.[10] On 31 August 1957, it was raised upon independence atMerdeka Square in place of the British Union Flag.
As the flag was finalised for official use, the significance of the design were given as follows:[11]
Red, white and blue – represents Malaysia as a country belonging in theCommonwealth.
Crescent and star – representsIslam as theofficial religion for theFederation, asyellow symbolises sovereignty of the Malay Rulers and their roles as leader of the faith in theconstituent states. The eleven-pointed star itself symbolises the "unity and co-operation" of said member states.
The Malayan flag was designed byMohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old architect working for thePublic Works Department (JKR) inJohor Bahru, in the state ofJohor. He entered the national flag design competition with four designs that he had completed in three days. The flag that 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.[9]
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 plusSabah,Sarawak, andSingapore; the design remained the same even after Singapore'sexpulsion from the federation two years later. WhenKuala Lumpur was designated aFederal 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 andPutrajaya 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 MinisterMahathir Mohamad picked the nameJalur Gemilang to project the country's onward drive toward continuous growth and success.
During the National Day celebrations, everyone is encouraged to fly theJalur Gemilang at their homes, office buildings, shops and corporate premises.
If the flag is fixed at home, it is to be raised pointing toward the road.
If the flag is put in a group of flags with state and private company flags, the Malaysian flag must be raised in between two flags and its pole placed higher than the rest.
The use of Malaysian flag is subject to the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1963.[13] Under the Act, the Malaysian flag may not be used for commercial, trade or business purposes without the written permission of a minister. The flag also cannot be used in the registration of patents, trademarks or design. Violators may be punished with up to RM20,000 fine or up to 3 years imprisonment, or both.[14]
Theflag anthem is written as dedication and pride of the Malaysian national flag. It is performed on the nation'sindependence day, also known as Hari Merdeka or Hari Kemerdekaan in Malay on 31 August every year. The original anthemBenderaku 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.
Benderaku by Tony Fonseka
Benderaku yang gagah perkasa
Merah putih kuning biru warnanya
Berkibar megah penuh bercahaya
Pusaka kita rakyat Malaysia
Bendera Malaysia, oh benderaku
Kupertahankan sepenuh ragaku
Dikaulah lambang negara berpadu
Di bawah naungan Duli Tuanku
Berkibar terus oh benderaku
Kaukan kujunjung sepanjang waktu
Harumlah nama negara yang tercinta
Padamu tempat taat dan setia
Bendera Malaysia, bendera kita
Kemegahan rakyat kita semua
Berkibar berkibar di ruang angkasa
Dirgahayu bendera tercinta!
English translation
The mighty flag of mine
Red, White, Yellow and Blue are the colours
Flying high up in the skies
The legacy of all of us Malaysians
O my flag, The Flag of Malaysia
I will defend it with all of my might
The Symbol of a unified nation
Under the patronage of His Royal Highness
Fly high o my flag
I will raise it all the time
O shine up, my beloved nation
To you, I swear my full allegiance
The Flag of Malaysia, our flag
The pride of all of us
Fly, fly high up in the skies
Long live our beloved flag!
Jalur Gemilang by Pak Ngah & Siso Kopratasa (Malay)
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.
Flag
Type
Description
Flag ratio
Civil ensign
The civil ensign of Malaysia used by civilian vessels has a red background with the Jalur Gemilang in a blue-fimbriated canton.
1:2
Malaysian Government blue ensign
The flag used by the Malaysian Government has a dark blue background with the Jalur Gemilang in the canton.
1:2
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency blue ensign
The flag used by theMalaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has a dark blue background with the Jalur Gemilang in the canton and the logo of the agency in the fly.
1:2
Army ensign
The flag used by theMalaysian Army has a red background with the Jalur Gemilang in the canton and the army emblem in the fly.
1:2
Air Force ensign
The flag used by theRoyal Malaysian Air Force has a pale blue background with the Jalur Gemilang in the canton and theBintang Persekutuan (14-point star) in the fly.
1:2
Naval ensign
The flag used by theRoyal Malaysian Navy has a white background with the Jalur Gemilang in a red-fimbriated canton and an emblem consisting of an anchor and two crossed traditionalkris (daggers) in the fly. Naval ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy use this flag as the naval ensign.
ThePatani Malayu National Revolutionary Front, aSouthern ThaiMalay separatist group involved in theSouth 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.
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