National Monument (Malaysia)
Tugu Negara | |
---|---|
Federal Territory | |
Designed by | Felix de Weldon |
The Tugu Negara is a national monument that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II and the Malayan Emergency, which lasted from 1948 until 1960. It is located in the Federal capital, Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is situated near the monument.
It is the world's tallest
History
Kuala Lumpur Cenotaph
The predecessor of the Tugu Negara is an
In 1964, the cenotaph was moved from its original location to the site of the National Monument in
The monument is depicted on several Malaysian 1 Ringgit banknotes issued between 1982 and 1989.[2][3]
National Monument
The concept of a national monument was mooted by Malaysia's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was inspired by the Marine Corps War Memorial during his visit to the United States in October 1960, before personally meeting Felix de Weldon for a favour to design the monument.
Felix de Weldon contributed in creating Malaysia's Tugu Negara (National Monument). He also designed the Iwo Jima Memorial located at Arlington, Washington DC.
The Tugu Negara was completed and officially opened on 8 February 1966, by
On 27 August 1975, the monument suffered extensive damage due to an explosion set off by a communist guerrilla.[4] It has since been restored to its original state by a four-person team led by Australian sculptor and Universiti Teknologi MARA lecturer, Christopher Carney.[5] The renovated statues were reunveiled on 11 May 1977.[6] A fence was then erected and the complex was declared a protected area between sunset and dawn. Every day at dawn, a soldier raises the national flag and lowers it at dusk.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom has stated that from 2010, the Warriors' Day commemoration service would be held elsewhere after Malaysia's National Fatwa Council guidelines declared the statues "un-Islamic" and potentially idolatrous. Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi added that a new "Warrior's Square" would be built in the country's administrative capital Putrajaya. When asked why the decision was made only after almost four decades of celebrating Warriors' Day at the present site, Jamil evaded comment, saying "Alhamdulillah, we are serious in solving this issue".[7] A similar sentiment would later be echoed in September 2016 by Harussani Zakaria, a Perak-based mufti, who declared that the construction of the monument had been a "big sin" and "idolatrous", because building monuments in the shape of humans was haram in Islam.[8]
Design
Commissioned in 1963 and constructed in 1966, the sculpture that stands as a centrepiece of the monument is 15 meters (49.21 feet) tall, made of bronze and was designed by Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon, who was also responsible for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia, United States.
The sculpture depicts 7 figures, 5 of the figures (1. holding the Malaysian flag, 2. armed with a rifle and bayonet (left), 3. armed with a machine gun (right), 4. soldiers tending to fifth wounded compatriot) represents the victorious allied forces while the other 2 figures that lie on the ground represents that of the defeated communist forces.
Overall the monument depicts the victory of the forces of democracy, peace and freedom over that of communism.[citation needed] The sculpture was then cast at a foundry in Rome at a cost of RM600,000.
Each of the bronze figures symbolises leadership, suffering, unity, vigilance, strength, courage and sacrifice. The stones that the soldiers are standing on were imported from the small coastal city of Karlshamn in south eastern Sweden.
The granite base of the sculpture bears the Malayan Coat of Arms, flanked on either side by inscriptions in English, Latin script, and also in Malay in Jawi script:
Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom, May the blessing of Allah be upon them
Jalan Tugu
Jalan Tugu, originally known as Cenotaph Road, refers to a road which was laid out following the completion of the cenotaph and adjoins the original cenotaph roundabout. The road was renamed to a direct Malay translation of the English name following a street renaming campaign during the 1960s, and continues to carry this name, as of 2013. The road runs parallel to the
References
- ^ "Tugu Negara". welcome-kl.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "P-19".
- ^ "P-27".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
- ^ Christopher Carney; Abdul Mansoor Ibrahim; Abdul Mufti Jantan; Zolkeply Maulana (23 December 2023). "I Love KL: Bringing Tugu Negara Back To Life" (Interview). Interviewed by Haniff Baharuddin. BFM 89.9.
- ^ Dr. Oh Seong Por (24 March 2018). "Remembering the Brave". Star2. The Star. p. 6 – via PressReader.
- ^ "National Monument 'unsuitable' for Warrior's Day". The Sun Daily. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ Shakira Buang (6 September 2016). "Perak mufti says 'idolatrous' Tugu Negara a big sin". Retrieved 12 November 2018.
External links
- In honour of our fallen heroes, New Straits Times, 16 December 2005.
- Monuments to honour the dead, The Star, 28 July 2007.
- Tourism Malaysia - National Monument
- Tugu Negara