National Monument

The National Monument is situated in close proximity to the Malaysian Houses of Parliament. It is also called "Tugu Negara" which means “National Monument” in the

Malay language. The monumental structure was built for commemorating those who died in the struggle for independence of Malaysia. The monumental structure is seen embracing the tranquility of the Lake Gardens and the total site area covers about 48,562 sq m.

Built in 1966, the National Monument is acknowledged as the largest free standing bronze sculpture in the world.

Creating a towering presence with a height of 15.54 meters tall, the sculpture was designed, planned and implemented by American sculptor Felix de Weldon at a cost of RM600, 000. The Monument depicts seven members of the Malaysian Armed Forces holding the national flag. Each of them stands for one of the qualities- unity, strength, vigilance, suffering, leadership, sacrifice and courage.

The granite foundation of the monument has only Roman and English inscriptions besides Malay with Jawi script. It reads, "Dedicated to the heroic fighters in the cause of peace and freedom, May the blessing of Allah be upon them". In the later half of the 20th century, the National Monument suffered far reaching blow and was greatly damaged due to the explosion triggered by the Communist terrorists. Through restoration, the past glory was reinstituted in its original state. By the erection of a fence the Monumental complex was declared a protected area. By tradition, even now every day at dusk and dawn, the national flag is raised and lowered.

The struggle as seen in the sculpture represents the fight against Japanese occupation at the time of the Second World War along with the Malayan emergency.

There are five major components that comprise of the memorial spot. These are the monument, the rectangular pool with fountain, a pavilion crescent in shape, the commemorative plaque and last but not the least the additional gardens that add ambiance to the whole place.

The topmost figure of the National Monument sculpture holds the Malaysian flag in the middle. This figure is flanked by two other soldiers in the right and left. While the figure on the left has a machine gun, the figure on the right carries a rifle along with bayonet. On the right side, there is another soldier figure stooping low and helping another wounded soldier. In the front and below the sculpture structure there are two fallen enemies.

Among the nearby attractions of National Monument are the ASEAN Gardens and the Memorial Tun Razak that has been turned into a museum in the memory of Malaysia's second Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

Holidayshub.com provides detailed online information on Malaysia.