How our flag began
Before independence, a design competition was held in 1947 to find a flag for Malaya. The winning design was made by Mohamed Hamzah, an architect from Johor.
The first flag
The flag was raised for the first time at Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur on the night of 31 August 1957, when Malaya became independent. At that time the flag had 11 stripes and an 11-pointed star, one for each of the 11 states of Malaya.
In 1963, when Malaysia was formed, the flag changed to 14 stripes and a 14-pointed star to include the new members.
Remember
- Designer: Mohamed Hamzah, chosen in 1947.
- First raised on 31 August 1957.
- 11 stripes at first, then 14 in 1963.