1989 in Malaysia explained
This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 1989, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians.
Incumbent political figures
Federal level
Dato' Sri Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Dato' Ghafar Baba
Abdul Hamid Omar
State level
Events
- 19 January – Planetarium Sultan Iskandar in Kuching, Sarawak, the first planetarium in Malaysia was officially opened.
- 1 February – The Malaysian National Speed Limit was enforced.
- 19 February – A Boeing 747 owned by Flying Tiger Line[1] crashed 12 kilometres from the Subang International Airport while on approach. The pilots misinterpreted the controller's instructions to descend, causing the aircraft to fly below minimum altitude and crash into a hillside on the outskirts of Puchong. The flight crew mistook the descent altitude to be 400 feet, when the controller actually meant 2400 feet. All 4 flight crew were killed.
- 8 March – Proton Saga Knight, the first Rally, Race, Research (R3) sports car was launched at Batu Tiga Circuit, Shah Alam.
- 19 March – Malaysian number one singer, Sudirman Arshad won the title " Best Performer" in the 1989 Salem Asian Music Awards at Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom.
- 10 April – A bomb detonated at the Dayabumi Complex, Kuala Lumpur.[2]
- 26 April – Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak was elected as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
- 15 April – Malacca Town became a historical city and also a sister city of Kuala Lumpur.
- 15 May – Mahathir Mohamad left for a two-veek official trip to the United States and Britain during which he met with US President George H. W. Bush and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
- 20–31 August – The Kuala Lumpur 1989, XV Southeast Asian Games.
- 22 September – Around 27 students, mostly schoolgirls were killed in the Madrasah fire tragedy in Guar Chempedak, Kedah.
- 18[3] –24 October – The 11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in Kuala Lumpur.
- 2 December – The Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89) ended and the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) agreed to a ceasefire. The peace agreement was signed at Hat Yai, Thailand by the CPM, and the Malaysian and Thai governments. CPM was officially dissolved.
Births
Deaths
- 17 February – S. Kadarisman – Malay actor (born 1922)
- 2 April – Ibu Zain – Malay politician, nationalist and independence campaigner (born 1903)
- 23 April – S. Sudarmaji – Malay film director (born 1923)
- 31 May – Chang Ling-Yun – Malaysian Communist Politician (born 1921)
- 12 July – Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ismail – Tunku Aris Bendahara of Johor (born 1933)
See also
Notes and References
- News: Flying Tiger Jet Crashes in Malaysia; 4 From U.S. Killed . 24 February 2024 . Los Angeles Times . 19 February 1989.
- News: Dayabumi explosion: Repair work in progress . 24 February 2024 . New Straits Times . 15 June 1989 . en.
- Web site: Commonwealth Chronology . Commonwealth Oral History Project . 24 February 2024.
