KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 -- In one corner of Gallery D at Muzium Negara, visitors will find the original Bendera Persekutuan Tanah Melayu.

The flag was raised at the Selangor Club Padang (now Dataran Merdeka) after the British Union Jack was lowered on August 31, 1957, at midnight.

To Muzium Negara Deputy Director Nor Hanisah Ahmad, it is one of the most important artefacts in the museum's collection.

"That flag is authentic - it's not a reproduction. Some people might think it's a copy, but it's the real one," she said.

"It's proof that when we gained independence, we started as a federation of 11 states. It marks the moment we took back our identity," she added.

Designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29-year-old Public Works Department archite...