Photograph of Malaya’s Proclamation of Independence

This is a photograph of Malaysia’s proclamation of independence. The Duke of Gloucester, representing the Queen of England, handed over the leadership to Tengku Abdul Rahman before a crowd of 25,000 at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on 31 August 1957. Tengku then read out the proclamation of independence—officially announcing Malaya’s independence to the Malayans and the world.