| Date 2007 | August 31 |
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| Date 2008 | August 31 |
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| Date 2009 | August 31 |
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| Date 2010 | August 31 |
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| Date 2011 | August 31 |
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| Significance | The Federation of Malaysia, comprising states of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore was to be officially declared on the date August 31 1963, on the 6th anniversary of Malayan independence from the British Empire. However, it was postponed to September 16 1963, mainly due to Indonesian and the Philippines' opposition to the formation of Malaysia. The formation of the Federation of Malaysia was then announced on September 16, 1963. However the Independence Day celebration is still held on August 31, the original independence date for the province of Malaya. This has caused some minor discontent among East Malaysians in particular since it has been argued that celebrating the national day on August 31 is too Malaya-centric. |
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