Yesterday the Seville Mosque Foundation was invited by H.E. Zainal Abidin Bakar, Ambassador of Malaysia in Spain and his wife Mrs. Madam Mohd Soom, to the reception at its Embassy for the celebration of the 61st anniversary of Malaysia’s independence.
The reception began with the national anthems of Malaysia and Spain followed by a speech by Mr. S
Ambassador in which he praised bilateral relations, trade and tourism.
Spain is the 5th country in the European Union that has the highest turnover with Malaysia.
It was an honor to be able to attend the event along with His Excellency, family, staff and honorable guests.
Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) is a national day of Malaysia commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule, celebrated on August 31.
In a broader context, it is to celebrate the formation of Malaysia.
The independence effort was spearheaded by Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, who led a delegation of Malay ministers and political leaders in negotiations with the British in London to manage Merdeka, or independence, alongside the first president of the Malaysian Chinese Association Tan Cheng Lock and the fifth President of the India-Malaysia Congress V.T. Sambanthan.
Once it became increasingly clear that the communist threat was fading, an agreement was reached on 8 February 1956, whereby Malaysia would gain independence from the British Empire.
However, for a number of logistical and administrative reasons, it was decided that the official proclamation of independence would be the following year, on August 31, 1957, at the Merdeka Stadium, in Kuala Lumpur.