MALAYSIA DAY.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Malaysia Maju Jaya: Souvenir Photographs. A rare and attractive album celebrating Malaysian independence on 16 September 1963, with an emphasis on the transfer of power in Sabah, formerly the British Crown Colony of North Borneo.The album is split into two narrative halves. The first is devoted to the ceremony marking British withdrawal, with photographs of the last governor - Sir William Goode (1907-1986) - reviewing troops and exchanging parting words with notable figures, as well as the obligatory "end of empire" shot of the British cruiser HMS Lion pulling away from Jesselton (now Kota Kinabal) with Goode aboard. The second half chronicles the reading of the Proclamation of the Establishment of Malaysia in different languages, the swearing in of new political leaders, and the independence day celebrations. The final image is particularly compelling, showing the All Communities Triumphal Arch erected in Jesselton to mark the country's founding. We have traced a single copy of this album in the British Library. A 1982 guide to the Sabah state library lists one copy but this does not now appear in the library's online catalogue.

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