Tugu Negara (National Monument)

A brainchild of Tunku Abd Rahman (the 1st Prime Minister), the 15.54m high bronze monument was constructed in 1966 to honor the country's fallen heroes. The monument was designed by Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon, the same designer for the USMC War Memorial in Virginia, United States.

On the base of the monument bears the inscriptions in Malay with Jawi script;

"Memperingati perwira-perwira yang berjuang untuk menegakkan keamanan dan kebebasan. Moga-moga Allah cucurkan rahmat ke atas mereka"

and English with Roman script:

"Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom,

May the blessing of Allah be upon them"

It was proclaimed a memorial park dedicated to the 11,000 people who died during the 12-year Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). Every year, on July 31st, a wreath-laying ceremony takes place at the monument on Warriors Day.

In 27 August 1975, it suffered extensive damage due to an explosion set off by a communist terrorist. The restoration was completed on 11 May 1977.

There is also another monument called cenotaph, which was set up during the British administration, to commemorate the fallen heroes during the 1st and 2nd World Wars and during the Malayan Emergency , which lasted from 1948 until 1960.On it is written it is written;

“To Our Glorious Dead with dates of the First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945) and the Emergency (1948-1960).