bulan kemerdekaan

31 Aug 2007. Malaysia celebrates 50 years of independence -- 50 years of thinking big
MALAYSIA. 31 Aug 2007. The Union Jack for the last time on Aug 31, 1957, and the Federation of Malaya become a sovereign nation. It was renamed Malaysia in 1963. Malaysia has won distinction in its first half century of independence for its relatively stable government, racial and religious harmony, prosperity and development. Timed to be seen as a high point in the celebrations and the nation's achievements, the country's first astronaut will blast off for the International Space Station a few weeks later later.
The decision to send a Malaysian astronaut into Space came at the end of the two-decade government of then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, according to MosNews, which noted that his think-big attitude spawned a national catch-phrase -- "Malaysia Boleh!" or "Malaysia Can!" -- aimed at boosting national pride.
For more than a decade Kuala Lumpur's 88-story Petronas Twin Towers, which held the record as the world's tallest buildings from when they were buildin 1998 until 2003 when they were eclipsed by Taipei 101, are the most visible expressions of the country's "think big" philosophy.
The country plans the biggest ever independence day celebrations for the 50th. The biggest events will be in Kuala Lumpur and the administrative center of Putrajaya. They include the Kuala Lumpur International Tattoo Show, a display of precision marching and military demonstrations; Flora Fest, a floral parade last held in the mid-1990s; Malaysia International Aerospace Exhibition and the Malaysia International Fireworks Competition.
The national day parade will see some 44 armed forces contingents, 22 marching bands, 17 floats, 15 military vehicles, and an air force fly-by. The guests of King Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail, Queen Fauziah Abdul Rashid and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the parade are certain to include regional heads of state and government, Commonwealth respresentatives and a member or members of the British royal family