Malaya Independence Act 1957

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision for and in connection with the establishment of the Federation of Malaya as an independent sovereign country within the Commonwealth.
Citation	5 & 6 Eliz. 2. c. 60
Dates
Royal assent	31 July 1957
Commencement	31 August 1957
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted

Part of the Independence of Malaya
Events
Early Malay nationalism Kesatuan Melayu Muda  • Defenders of the Homeland Japanese occupation of Malaya British Military Administration Malayan Union All-Malaya Council of Joint Action Federation of Malaya Sungai Siput incident Malayan Emergency Federal Legislative Council Malayan Forum Communities Liaison Committee Briggs Plan Member System 1952 local elections 1955 General election Baling Talks Barnes Report Razak Report Treaty of London Reid Commission F. of Malaya Independence Act Parti Perikatan Merdeka Day Anglo-Malayan Defence Agreement Article 160 UN Security Council Resolution 125 Peace Agreement of Hat Yai
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The Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957 (5 & 6 Eliz. 2. c. 60) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom.^[1] It came into operation on 31 July 1957.

The Act made provisions for the nation of Federation of Malaya (formerly the Protected States of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, and Terengganu) and the Settlements of Penang and Malacca to gain an independent sovereign country within and become a member of the Commonwealth of Nations on 31 August 1957; prior to this, Federation of Malaya (formerly Malay States) had been a fully self-governing British colony.

The Malayan Union came into being in 1946. It was established by British Malaya and comprised the Federated Malay States (Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang), the Unfederated Malay States (Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor) and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. In a series of agreements between the British and the Malayan Union, the Malayan Union was superseded by the Federation of Malaya on 1 February 1948.

After extensive work to stabilize the political situation and reduce racial tensions, the British government finally ceded full autonomy to the Federation of Malaya on August 31, 1957, and the country achieved independence, led by the inaugural prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who remained in office until 1970.

• Hari Merdeka (Independence Day)
• Malayan Declaration of Independence
• United Nations Security Council Resolution 125

• The UK Statute Law Database: Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957
• Chronological table of the statutes; HMSO, London. 1993. ISBN 0-11-840331-1