The Celebration of the Federal Territory Day (2012)



The Federal Territory Flag

         Federal Territory Day or Hari Wilayah Persekutuan as it is known in Malay, falls on 1 February and celebrates the anniversary of the formation of the Federal Territory in 1974. This day is declared a holiday in the Federal Territory, where visitors will see the streets transformed by parades and fireworks, with various cultural activities and fascinating exhibitions happening in a whole host of different locations.

      While this celebration is officially declared for 1 February, the moment it marks actually took place four days earlier, on 28 January, 1974, when the Sultan of Selangor and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (head of state) signed an agreement to formally separate Kuala Lumpur from the state of Selangor and place it under a seperate Federal rule.

         Today, the Federal Territory comprises three cities: Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. Labuan is an island off the coast of Sabah and joined the territory in 1984 as an offshore financial centre, while Putrajaya was a planned city, built as the administrative centre of Malaysia and was officially signed in on 1 February, 2001.

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building

      Merdeka Square was the focus of city folks and visitors to the capital to watch the parade to mark the launch of 2012 Federal Territories (FT) Day celebration yesterday. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak officiated at the ceremony participated by 94 contingents with 8,000 members representing government departments, schools, higher education institutions, corporate bodies, non-government bodies and banks. Also present at the celebration which started at 8.30am were the prime minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

Wowing the crowd

       Themed “Rakyat Bersatu, Wilayah Persekutuan Maju” for the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, the celebration includes a procession of antique cars, superbikes and Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s cavalry contingent.The Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry, KL City Hall, Putrajaya Corporation, Labuan Corporation, Federal Territories director of Land and Mines Office and Federal Territories Sports Council provide ‘gifts’ to city folks.

Posted by : Nageswarie Mahindran

                   Kuganesh Velaraj

                    Anita Raj

                    Rajeswary Vijayakumar