A tour of Tugu Negara...

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave..." - Elmer Davis

(Aira, Alia and Arif at Tugu Negara)

The visit to Tugu Negara was the first for Alia, Arif and Aira. Alia especially, was overly excited and intrigued by the history and controversies of this national monument.

The Tugu Negara is constructed to 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.

Constructed in 1966, the sculpture that stands as a centerpiece of the monument is 15 meters tall, made of bronze and was designed by Austrian sculptor Felix de Weldon. 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.

In 1975, the monument suffered extensive damage due to an explosion. It has since been restored to its original state. A wreath-laying ceremony used to take place at the monument every 31 July on Warriors Day but the event was since moved somewhere else.

(A beautiful fountain at Tugu Negara)

(Kuala Lumpur skyline in the background)

(Was last here in 2010 with Hana)

At the entrance to Tugu Negara there is an interwar-era cenotaph originally erected by the colonial British administration near the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. The cenotaph was intended to commemorate the Great War (1914–1918) and honour those from the British Malayan colonies who were killed in the war. The cenotaph's inscription would later include fallen British Malayan soldiers of World War II (1939–1945). Names of the fallen are engraved on plaques of the cenotaph as a tribute to their sacrifices. In 1964, the cenotaph was moved from its original location to the site of the National Monument in Lake Gardens.

(A brief history of Tugu Negara)

(The Cenotaph near the National Monument)