Flag of Malaysia

Malaysia
	Flag Since 1963
	Jalur Gemilang ('Stripes of Glory')
Use	National flag
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	26 May 1950; 74 years ago (original 11-point star and 11 stripes) ; 16 September 1963; 60 years ago (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
Designed by	Mohamed Hamzah

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] It is in the stars and stripes family of flags.

Construction sheet

Flag construction sheet

History

Selection

The current Malaysian flag is based on the flag of the Federation of Malaya which modelled after the flag of British East India Company. In 1949, a year after the Federation 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.^[4]

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.

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 statesman Onn Jaafar, the red and blue colours were swapped, the crescent and star were changed from white to yellow, and six more points were added to the star to make that too eleven in total.^[5]^[6] 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.^[7] 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:^[8]

Red, white and blue – represents Malaysia as a country belonging in the Commonwealth.
Crescent and star – represents Islam as the official religion for the Federation, as yellow symbolises sovereignty of the Malay Rulers and their roles as leader of the faith in the constituent states. The eleven-pointed star itself symbolises the "unity and co-operation" of said member states.

The designer

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.^[6]

Mohamed Hamzah died just short of his 75th birthday on 19 February 1993 in Jalan Stulang Baru, Kampung Melayu Majidee, Johor.^[9]

Modifications

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.^[10]

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.

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.

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 of the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1870 to 1946.
Flag of the Crown Colony of Sarawak from 1946 to 1963.
Flag of North Borneo from 1882 to 1902.
Flag of North Borneo from 1902 to 1946.
Flag of the Crown Colony of North Borneo from 1948 to 1963.
Flag of the Crown Colony of Labuan from 1912 to 1946.
Flag of the Straits Settlements from 1904 to 1925.
Flag of the Straits Settlements from 1925 to 1946.
Crown Colony Flag of Penang 1952-1957
Flag of Crown Colony of Malacca from 1946 to 1957.
Flag of the Crown Colony of Singapore from 1946 to 1952.
Flag of the Crown Colony of Singapore from 1952 to 1959.
Flag of the Federated Malay States from 1896 to 1946; later adopted by the Malayan Union from 1946 until 1948 and the Federation of Malaya from 1948 to 1950.
Flag of the Federation of Malaya from 1950 to 1963.
Flag of Malaysia in current use since 1964.

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.

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)

Merahmu bara semangat waja

Putihmu bersih budi pekerti

Kuning berdaulat payung negara

Biru perpaduan kami semua

Puncak dunia telah kautawan

Lautan luas telah kauredah

Membawa semangat jiwa Merdeka

Semarak jaya kami warganya

Empat belas melintang jalurnya

Semua negeri dalam Malaysia

Satu suara satu semangat

Itu sumpah warga berdaulat

Jalur Gemilang di bawah naunganmu

Jalur Gemilang kami semua bersatu

Perpaduan ketaatan

Amalan murni rakyat Malaysia

Jalur Gemilang megah kami terasa

Jalur Gemilang kibarkanlah wawasan

Merah, putih, biru, kuning

Jalur semangat kami semua

(2x)

Berkibarlah!, berkibarlah!, berkibarlah!,

Jalur Gemilang!

English Translation

Your Red represents steely will

Your White represents clean and kind character

Yellow of the Sovereign, the country's protector

Blue for all of us in unity

You have reached the heights of the world

You have travelled the wide waters

Bearing the spirit of independence

We are members of its successful will

Fourteen stripes across

For each of the states of Malaysia

One voice, one spirit

So its sovereign citizens solemnly swear

Stripes of Glory, beneath your care

Stripes of Glory, we unite

Unity and loyalty

Are the noble values of the Malaysian people

Stripes of Glory, how proud we feel

Stripes of Glory, proclaim our vision

Red, white, blue, yellow

Are the stripes of our resolve

(2x)

Flutter-on, flutter-on, flutter-on

Stripes of Glory!

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.

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 the Malaysian 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 the Malaysian 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 the Royal Malaysian Air Force has a pale blue background with the Jalur Gemilang in the canton and the Bintang Persekutuan (14-point star) in the fly.	1:2
Naval ensign	The flag used by the Royal 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 traditional kris (daggers) in the fly. Naval ships of the Royal Malaysian Navy use this flag as the naval ensign.	1:2

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.

Royal Malaysian Air Force roundel.
Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) flag.
Deprecated Patani Malayu National Revolutionary Front flag, with a crescent and 15-point Federal Star.
Malaysian flag on pole

Notes

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

References

^ "Malaysian Flag and Coat of Arms". myGovernment Malaysian Government's official portal. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
^ "Malaysia Flag". TalkMalaysia.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
^ Flags Of The World Malaysia: Description Archived 20 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine
^ Sonia Ramachandran. Golden Merdeka Memories: National flag chosen by people in one of country's first public polls. New Straits Times. 18 August 2006.
^ "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.
^ ^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.
^ "Federation Flag Hoisted at Istana". The Malay Mail. 27 May 1950.
^ 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.
^ "Sejarah Bendera Malaysia". Malay Text. 29 August 2009. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
^ "MyGOV - The Government of Malaysia's Official Portal". www.malaysia.gov.my. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.