After independence in 1957, Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federation of Malaya and continued to be the capital of the renamed Federation of Malaysia in 1963. For the occasion of independence, A large stadium, Stadium Merdeka (Independence Stadium), was built, where Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, declared Malaya's independence in front of a massive crowd.

The Union Jack was lowered from the flagpole at the Padang (now known as Dataran Merdeka; Independence Square) and the Malayan flag was raised. The Padang symbolized British sovereignty as it was a cricket ground for the colonial administrators and fronted the Royal Selangor Club, Malaya's most exclusive Whites-Only club. In 1974 Kuala Lumpur seceded from Selangor and the city became a Federal Territory (Wilayah Persekutuan).

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PRIME MINISTER DATUK SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI - PWTC - 21st July, 2005
"Malaysia is on the threshold of celebrating its 48th year of independence. A mere 15 years remain to the finish line of Vision 2020 and that is all the time we have left to realize the ambition of achieving developed nation status."
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