INDEPENDENCE OF MALAYSIA Malaysia is a country located in Southeast Asia. Every August 31, Malaysians celebrate Independence Day. Before achieving its independence, Malaysia had been under foreign rule for 446 years (1511-1957), first by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, followed by the English and finally the Japanese. The colonialists' attempt to control the country's economy and politics, imposition of taxes, violation of local customs and practices, arrogance and coercion gave local citizens reasons to rise up against foreign masters. Basically, the struggle for independence in the country can be divided into two stages: the struggle with bloodshed and the struggle through negotiation. The bloodshed struggle took place when the people were under the rule of the colonialists. In the 20th century, citizens were already exposed to external struggles for independence and many people had received formal education, so the struggle became a struggle for nationalism. Associations and the mass media were used as channels to express sorrow and dissatisfaction to foment nationalist spirit and put pressure on the British to improve people's lives. It wasn't easy though. A great effort was required to gain freedom from the foreign rulers. Being a big country, it must have gone through a big process. So, this essay would simply talk about the history of Malaysia before it became a famous country. It all began with the domination of Hindu and Buddhist cultures from India in the early history of Malaysia. As a result of these two influences, after 1 AD numerous kingdoms existed in the Malay Archipelagos such as Kedah, Langkasuka, Srivijaya and Majapahit. A few decades later, Islam was... at the center of the paper... of local officials. Local people were reluctant to pay taxes to foreigners who, according to them, were not entitled to receive any tax payments. Bottom line, it's been a really long and difficult road to travel. However, all the fighters did not give up. They have tried to keep what they believe as their own. Since Independence Day is celebrated every year, for a section of society, especially the younger generations, independence is considered something that has always existed. They fail to appreciate the meaning of independence. Many among them ignore the struggle of the leaders who risked their lives to defend the sovereignty of the motherland. It is better to appreciate what we are given. Our ancestors not only fought for this country, they fought for us too, so we will not experience the era of colonization.