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A Federation Of Malaya Merdeka (Independence) Lapel Badge
The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was a federation of 11 states formed on January 31, 1948 from the nine Malay states: Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johore, Pahang, Trengganu, Kelantan, and the British settlements of Penang and Malacca.
From 1946 to 1948, the 11 states formed a single crown colony known as the Malayan Union. Due to opposition from Malay nationalists, the Union was disbanded and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the symbolic positions of the rulers of the Malay states.
Within the Federation, while the Malay states were protectorates of the United Kingdom, Penang and Malacca remained British colonial territories. Like the Malayan Union before it, the Federation did not include Singapore, which before this time had usually been considered to be part of Malaya.
The Federation achieved independence within the Commonwealth of Nations on August 31, 1957. In 1963, the federation together with Singapore, Sarawak and British North Borneo (which was renamed Sabah) formed a new federation called Malaysia. Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent republic on August 9, 1965.
This small lapel badge 3.75cm in diameter records the 1957 Independence Day for the Federation with crests of the 11 members, the National flag with 11 stripes and the Star with 11 points. Merdeka (in the Malay language) is written above the Government Crest and the words 'Independent Federation of Malaya are also written in English, Chinese, Tamil and Jawi around the badge.