Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) is the national day of Malaysia and commemorates the independence of the Federation of Malaya. The negotiations with the British for independence were led by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. Once it became increasingly clear that the communist threat present during the Malayan Emergency was contained, an agreement was reached on February 8, 1956 and Malaya gained independence from the British Empire on August 31, 1957.
