2018 in Malaysia


2018 in Malaysia is Malaysia's 61st anniversary of its independence and 55th anniversary of Malaysia's formation.

Events

May

14th Malaysian general election :
  • 9 May—The 14th general election was held on this day. For the first time in the country's history, the Barisan Nasional coalition was defeated by the opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan, only winning 79 seats against Pakatan Harapan's 121. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party won 18 seats while independents won 3 seats. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who led Pakatan Harapan to victory, manage to defeat his protege Najib Razak,
  • 10 May -- Mahathir Mohamad is sworn in as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia at 2130 hours, as he becomes the world's oldest elected state leader at the age of 92. This marks his return to the position after holding the post previously for 22 years, from 1981 to 2003.
  • 12 May --
  • * A Council of Eminent Persons is formed as government's advisory board, board members are
  • *# Tun Daim Zainuddin, former Finance Minister of Malaysia
  • *# Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia
  • *# Tan Sri Hassan Marican, former president and CEO of Petronas
  • *# Robert Kuok, Hong-Kong based Malaysian billionaire tycoon
  • *# Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, prominent economist
  • * Lim Guan Eng, Muhyiddin Yassin, and Mohamad Sabu are named for three top cabinet posts
  • * Former prime minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor are barred from leaving the country
  • * Najib resigns as UMNO and BN chief
  • 13 May --
  • * Mahathir instructs Inland Revenue Board to return taxes collected 'illegally'.
  • 14 May --
  • * Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali goes on unrecorded leave, duties taken over by solicitor-general
  • * MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad resigns
  • * Treasurer general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah's contract shortened, transferred to Public Service Department
  • * Mahathir says laws on fake news will be clearly defined
  • * Mahathir says political appointments in government-linked companies will be reviewed.
  • 15 May --
  • * Audit Department declassifies its 1MDB report
  • * Council of Eminent Persons sets up a committee on institutional reforms, committee includes:
  • *# Retired judge of Court of Appeal Datuk KC Vohrah;
  • *# Retired judge of the Court of Appeal and Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Commissioner Datuk Mah Weng Kwai;
  • *# National Patriot Association President Brigadier General Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji;
  • *# University Malaya Tunku Abdul Rahman Professor of Law Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi;
  • *# Hakam President and Bar Council former President Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan
  • * Apandi Ali, Irwan Serigar, Dzulkifli and former IGP Khalid Abu Bakar barred from leaving the country.
  • 16 May --
  • * Pakatan Harapan de facto leader and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison after being pardoned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He had served three years of his prison sentence.
  • * 1MDB president Arul Kanda Kandasamy is also barred from leaving the country
  • * Police search Najib's house and seize handbags and clothes
  • * Government announces GST will be zero-rated effective, 1 June 2018
  • * Mahathir to sack 17,000 political appointees from civil service
  • * Registrar of Societies approves Pakatan Harapan's registration.
  • * Ministries instructed to cease use of 1Malaysia slogan
  • * Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia 2.0 programme ceased
  • * Board meetings of the Cooperatives Commission of Malaysia and committees which have political appointees to be postponed.
  • 17 May
  • * Police search at Najib's house continues
  • * Finance Ministry initiates fiscal reforms.
  • 20 May
  • * Former executive of PetroSaudi whistleblower Swiss national Xavier Justo meets Mahathir
  • 21 May
  • * Special task force formed to investigate the 1MDB scandal as well as to prosecute wrongdoers and retrieve related assets. Task force would be jointly headed by former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, former MACC head Abu Kassim Mohamed, current MACC head Mohd Shukri Abdull and former special branch head Abdul Hamid Bador.
  • * Deputy prime minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and several federal ministers officially sworn in as members of cabinet.
  • 22 May
  • * Former prime minister Najib Razak is brought in for questioning at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

August

DateEvent
8 August
Former prime minister Najib Razak was charged in the Sessions Court with three counts of having received RM42 million in proceeds from unlawful activities into two of his accounts four years ago, with the money belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd.
8 AugustTouch 'n Go stops selling SmartTAGs, with an RFID pilot to replace these devices starting next month.
10 AugustHigh Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali dismissed Najib's application for a gag order restraining the media and public from publishing statements on the merits of his criminal charges, which would infer Najib’s guilt pending the disposal of his case.
13 AugustNajib filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the High Court refusal to issue an order restraining the media and public from publishing statements on the merits of his case.
19 August – 2 September2018 Asian Games :
31 AugustMalaysia celebrated its 61st Independence Day.

September

October

DateEvent
4 OctoberFormer prime minister Najib Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor has been arrested at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters, where she was being questioned over her alleged role in the 1MDB scandal.
4 OctoberSix firemen drowned while conducting an operation at a mining pool to search and rescue a drowned teenager.
6 – 13 October2018 Asian Para Games :
6 – 18 October2018 Summer Youth Olympics :
  • Malaysia participated at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The national contingent won its first two gold medals in the sporting event's history.
    • 18 OctoberUmno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been arrested the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
    22 OctoberSultan Sallehuddin ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah is installed as the 29th Sultan of Kedah.
    25 OctoberFormer prime minister Najib Razak and his former treasury secretary-general jointly are charged with six counts of criminal breach of trust over government payments linked to 1MDB.
    26 OctoberThe Negeri Sembilan palace has revoked the Datuk Seri titles that were conferred on former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

    November

    • 6 November - Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad visited Japan, and received a medal of the Emperor of Japan.
    • 15 November - Mahathir came back to Kuala Lumpur since end the 33rd Asean summit in Singapore.

    December

    National Day and Malaysia Day

    National Day theme

    '''Sayangi Malaysiaku '''

    National Day parade

    '''Putrajaya Square, Putrajaya'''

    Malaysia Day celebration

    '''Merdeka Square, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah'''

    Sports

    Deaths