1971 in Malaysia

Decades:	1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s;
See also:	Other events of 1971; History of Malaysia • Timeline • Years

This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 1971, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians. Parliamentary government was restored on 5 February, after its 1969 suspension due to race riots.

Incumbent political figures

Federal level

State level

Sultan of Johor: Sultan Ismail
Sultan of Kedah: Tunku Abdul Malik (Regent)
Sultan of Kelantan: Sultan Yahya Petra (Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong)
Raja of Perlis: Tuanku Syed Putra
Sultan of Perak: Sultan Idris Shah II
Sultan of Pahang: Sultan Abu Bakar
Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah
Sultan of Terengganu: Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah
Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tuanku Jaafar
Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang: Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah
Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Malacca:
- Tun Haji Abdul Malek bin Yusuf (until August)
- Tun Haji Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Majid (from August)
Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak: Tun Tuanku Bujang Tuanku Othman
Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah: Tun Pengiran Ahmad Raffae

Events

5 January – Kuala Lumpur hit by flash floods. 22 people were killed.
5 February – The Parliament government was restored after it was suspended during the Incident of 13 May 1969.
20 February – Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah was installed as the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
28 March – The 25th anniversary of the installation of Raja Syed Putra as Raja Perlis was celebrated.
3 April – Malaysia Airlines Systems (MAS) was founded.
15-16 April – Malaysia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand sign the Five Power Defence Arrangements. The agreement comes into effect on 1 November the same year.^[1]
15 May – Central Bank of Malaysia building officially opened.
11 July – The Malaysian New Economic Policy was launched.
9 September – The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, was founded.
13 September – The 17th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur.
December – Flash floods hit Temerloh, Pahang.
6–13 December – 1971 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games
16 December – The 25th anniversary of the installation of Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah as Sultan of Terengganu was celebrated.

Births

24 January – Rosman Alias – social media influencer
10 May – Amy Mastura – Malaysian singer and actress
4 June – Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin – former Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) newscaster and current consort of Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor
1 August – Rohani Abu Bakar – social media influencer
20 August – Hans Isaac – Malaysian entertainer^[2]
1 November – Azman Adnan – Malaysian footballer
18 November – Permaisuri Siti Aishah of Selangor and 11th Raja Permaisuri Agong
1 December – Jason Keng-Kwin Chan, Malaysian-Australian actor
Unknown date – Wazi Abdul Hamid – Malaysian motorcycle cub prix rider

Deaths

1 April – Mahmud Mat, 1st Menteri Besar of Pahang (b. 1894).^[3]
15 June – Nordin Ahmad, Malay film actor and director (b. 1929).
11 July – Hamzah Abdullah, 1st Menteri Besar of Selangor (b. 1890).

References

↑ "Five Power Defence Arrangements". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
↑ Sangheeta Nair (29 July 2007). "Hans is back". The Star. Retrieved 22 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ "Pahang's first MB buried". NewspaperSG. 3 April 1971. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

[1] "Five Power Defence Arrangements". www.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-03-17.

[2] Sangheeta Nair (29 July 2007). "Hans is back". The Star. Retrieved 22 February 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[3] "Pahang's first MB buried". NewspaperSG. 3 April 1971. Retrieved 9 February 2026.

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