MY Malaysia Timeline
From Pagenation
Malaysia was formed in 1963 through a federation of the former British colonies of Malaya and Singapore including the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo. The first several years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the federation in 1965.
Malaysia Timeline:
- 100 BCE to 1400 - Hindu Kingdom
- 1400 to 1511 - Islam and the Golden Age of Malacca
- 1511 to 1957 - Colonial Malaysia (British Empire)
- 1957 onwards - Independence
Malaysia was a term brought up in 1961, when Tunku persuaded Singapore, Sabak and Sarawak to combine with Malaya in a federal union. This didn't go over well with Indonesian president, Sukharno, who feared the impact of such a union on his plans to expand. He initiated several unsuccessful attacks against Malaysia.
2004 September - Former deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim freed after court overturns his sodomy conviction.
2004 March - Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi wins landslide general election victory.
2003: Mahathir leaves mark on skyline
2003 October - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi takes over as prime minister as Mahathir Mohamad steps down after 22 years in office.
2002 June - Veteran Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announces that he will resign in 2003. The news sends shockwaves across the country.
2002 February - Police round up thousands of Indonesians and Filipinos in a campaign to curb illegal immigration.
2002 August - Tough new laws against illegal immigrants come into effect, providing for whipping and prison terms for offenders. Laws prompt exodus of foreign workers.
2001 September - Malaysia, Singapore resolve long-standing disputes, ranging from water supplies to air space. They also agree to build a new bridge and tunnel.
2001 March - Dozens arrested during Malaysia's worst ethnic clashes in decades between Malays and ethnic Indians.
2001 February - Government decides to proceed with construction of huge Bakun hydroelectric power project on island of Borneo despite serious environmental concerns.
2001 April - Demonstrations against the Internal Security Act following the detention without trial of supporters of Anwar Ibrahim.
2000 - Ibrahim is found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to nine years in prison. This is added to the six-year jail sentence he was given in 1999 after being found guilty of corruption following a controversial trial.
1998 - Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sacks his deputy and presumed successor, Anwar Ibrahim, on charges of sexual misconduct, against the background of differences between the two men over economic policy; Ibrahim arrested.
1997 - Asian financial crisis spells end of decade of impressive economic growth.
1993 - Sultans lose legal immunity.
1990 - Sarawak communist insurgents sign peace accord with government.
1989 - Local communist insurgents sign peace accord with government.
1981 - Mahathir Mohamad becomes prime minister.
1978-89 - Vietnamese refugees benefit from unrestricted asylum.
1977 - Kelantan chief minister expelled from Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), triggering unrest, a national emergency and the expulsion of PAS from the BN coalition.
1971 - Government introduces minimum quotas for Malays in business, education and the civil service.
1970 - Tun Abdul Razak becomes prime minister following Abdul Rahman's resignation; forms National Front (BN) coalition.
1969 - Malays stage anti-Chinese riots in the context of increasing frustration over the economic success of the ethnic Chinese.
1965 - Singapore withdraws from Malaysia, which is reduced to 13 states; communist insurgency begins in Sarawak.
1963 - British colonies of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore join Federation of Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.
1957 - Federation of Malaya becomes independent from Britain with Tunku Abdul Rahman as prime minister.
1948-60 - State of emergency to counter local communist insurgency.
1948 - British-ruled Malayan territories unified under Federation of Malaya.
1942-45 - Japanese occupation.
1895 - Four Malay states combine to form the Federated Malay States.
1826 - British settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore combine to form the Colony of Straits Settlements, from where the British extend their influence by establishing protectorates over the Malay sultanates of the peninsula.
Note: Malaysia's growth was almost exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics. As a result Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002. GDP in 2001 grew only 0.5% due to an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial fiscal stimulus package equal to US $1.9 billion mitigated the worst of the recession and the economy rebounded in 2002 with a 4.1% increase. The economy grew 4.9% in 2003, notwithstanding a difficult first half, when external pressures from SARS and the Iraq War led to caution in the business community. Healthy foreign exchange reserves and a relatively small external debt make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience a crisis similar to the one in 1997, but the economy remains vulnerable to a more protracted slowdown in Japan and the US, top export destinations and key sources of foreign investment. The Malaysian ringgit is pegged to the dollar, and the Japanese central bank continues to intervene and prop up the yen against the dollar.