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The flag of Malaysia was raised for the first time on                              September 16, 1963. Its design was created in a                              contest held by the federal legislative council and                              three flags were chosen for the public to vote on. The first one had two daggers in the middle against a blue backdrop. The second had eleven stars around crossed daggers in a star shape. Although these were significantly different from the flag of the Federation of Malaya, the previous government administration, it was the third flag that won. It was similar to the Federation of Malaya’s flag, but it used a simple five-point star that had been left out of the Malaya flag due to its similarities to the Communist symbol. The flag’s design represents several things: The red, white, and blue represent the country belonging to the Commonwealth. The official religion of the Federation of Malaya is Islam, so a crescent and star were included. Additional points and stripes have been added since the flag was created, and it has been given the official name “Jalur Gemilang.”

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