Malaysia celebrates 50th anniversary of independence

Kuala Lumpur—In an air of festivity, people of Malaysia today celebrated the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence with fireworks, flag-waving and a prayer for unity among Malaysia’s ethnic races and religions. Thousands of people are attending celebrations in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, as the country marks 50 years of nationhood. Dancers and drummers paraded though Merdeka Square, where Malaysia’s first prime minister announced independence from Britain on 31 August 1957. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi used his anniversary speech, made in the midnight hour of the nation’s birth, to voice pride in the country’s record of religious tolerance, but he and others hinted at recent undercurrents of social tension. “We must take care of our unity and we must be ready to destroy any threat which may affect our unity,” Abdullah Badawi told tens of thousands of Malaysians who had turned out in the capital’s main square to see the fireworks. “We must ensure that no region or community is left behind. We will hold true to the concept of justice and fairness for all citizens,” he said. Some 60,000 people gathered yesterday evening to watch scenes of the nation’s last 50 years projected on to the capital’s skyscrapers.—Online