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PROCLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE*

IN HE NAME OF GOD, he Compassionate, the merciful.Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe and may the blessingsand peace OF God be up on 'his messengers.ANDWHEREAS the time. has now arrived when the people of'ersekutuan Tanah Melayu will assume the status of a fret)endent und sovereign nation among the nations of the world;AND WHEREAS by an agreement styled the Federation ofMalaya Agreement. 1957, between Her Majesty the Queen andTheir Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States it was agreedthat the Malay States of Johore, Pahang, Negri Sembilan.Selangor. Kedah. Perlis. Kelantan, Trengganu and Perak and theformer Settlements of Malacca and Penang should as from the31st day of August. 1957. be Formed into a new Federation efStates by the name of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu;ANDWHEREAS it was further agreed between the parties to thesaid agreement that the Settlements of Malacca and Penang afore-said should as from the said date cease to form part of HerMajesty's dominions and that Her M ajesty should cease to exerciseany sovereignty over them:AND WHEREAS it was further agreed by the parties aforesaid

that the Federation of Malaya Agreement, 1948, and all otheragreements subsisting between Her Majesty the Queen and TheirHighnesses the Rulers or any one of them immediately before thesaid date should be revoked as from that date and that a11 powersand jurisdiction of Her Majesty or of th e Parliament of the UnitedKingdom in or in respect oE the Settlements aforesaid or the M alayStates or the Federation as a whole should come to an end;AND WHEREAS effect has been given in the Federation ofMalaya Agreement, 1957, by Her Majesty the Queen. TheirHighnesses the Rulers, the Parliament of the United Kingdomand the Legislatures of the Federation and of the Malay States;* This Proclamation was read by Tunku Abdul Rahman a t thecelebrations held at t h e Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, on August 31.1957, at which H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, acting on behalf of HerMajesty the Queen, formally handed over to the Pnme Mln~ster he

constitutional documents signilying the independence of the Federation ofMalaya.

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AND WHEREAS a constitution for the Government of thePersekutuan T an ah Melayu ha s been established a s the supremelaw thereof;ANDWHEREAS by the Federal Constitution aforesaid provisionis made to safeguard the rights and prerogatives of Their

Highnesses the Rulers and the fundamental rights and libertiesof the people and to provide for the peaceful and orderly advance-ment of the Persekutuan T an ah Melayu a s a constitutionalmonarchy based on Parliamentary democracy;AND WHEREAS the Federal Constitution aforesaid having beenapproved by a n Ord inance of the Federal Legislatures, by theEnactm ents of the Malay States an d by resolutions of the Legis-latures of Malacca and Penang has come into force on the 31st

day of August. 1957, aforesaid;Now in the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful I,Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra ibni Al-Marhum Sul tan AbdulHam id Halimshah, Prim e Minister of the Persekutuan T an ahMelayu, with the concurrence and approval of Their Highnessesthe Rulers of the M alay States d o hereby proclaim and declareon behalf of the people of the Persekutuan T an a h M elayu t hat as

from the thirty first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven, the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu comprising the States ofJohore, Pahang. Negri Sembilan. Selangor, Kedah. Perlis. Kelantan,Trkngganu. Perak. Malacca and Penang is and with God's blessingshall be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent Statefounded upon the principle of liberty and justice and ever seeking[he welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of ajust peace among all nations.KUALAL U M PU R , T . A B D U L R A H M A N ,

31st d a y of August, 1957. Prime Minister