2003 in Malaysia

This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 2003, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians.

A KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur

The Berjaya Times Square.

← 2002 2001 2000 2003 in Malaysia → 2004 2005 2006
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2003 History of Malaysia  • Timeline  • Years

Incumbent political figures

Federal level

• Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
• Raja Permaisuri Agong: Tuanku Fauziah
• Prime Minister:
  • Dato' Sri Dr Mahathir Mohamad (until 31 October)
  • Dato' Sri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (from 31 October)
• Deputy Prime Minister: incumbent
• Chief Justice: Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah then Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim

State level

• Sultan of Johor: Sultan Iskandar
• Sultan of Kedah: Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah
• Sultan of Kelantan: Sultan Ismail Petra
• Raja of Perlis: Tuanku Syed Faizuddin (Regent)
• Sultan of Perak: Sultan Azlan Shah
• Sultan of Pahang: Sultan Ahmad Shah
• Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah
• Sultan of Terengganu: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong)
• Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tuanku Jaafar
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang: Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Malacca: Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak: Tun Abang Mohammad Salahuddin
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah: Tun Sakaran Dandai (until 31 December)

Events

• 1 January –Visit Johor Year 2003 officially began.[1]
• 1 January – The indirect advertising of tobacco brands was banned by the Malaysian federal government.[2]
• 4 January – Mathematics and Science subjects in English were introduced to all primary and secondary schools for the first time.[3]
• 14 February – The Southern Integrated Gateway projects (new CIQ complex and new bridge) in Johor Bahru were officially launched by the Malaysian prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.[4]
• 23 February – About 20,000 people rallied in the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil to show support for "Malaysians for Peace".[5]
• 20–25 February – The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) General Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur.[6]
• 9 March – Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was crowned as the 9th Sultan of Selangor.[7]
• 5 April – A 64-year-old man from Jerantut, Pahang died of Severe Acute Respiatory Syndrome (SARS) virus.[8]
• May — The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) signed a deal to purchase 18 Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM jet fighters worth almost $1 billion. The Su-30MKMs would be delivered in batches starting in early 2007. As part of the deal, the Russians would send a Malaysian astronaut (angkasawan) to the International Space Station (ISS).[9]
• 25 May – A 19-year-old salesgirl died when a car driven by 21-year-old college student crashed into her and several friends seated at a table set up at a roadside in front of a 24-hour restaurant in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
• 14 June – IT analyst, Canny Ong was raped and murdered. Her body was found at the New Pantai Expressway construction site in Jalan Klang Lama near Kampung Dato' Harun, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.[10]
• 23 June – The base of a tower once part of the Porto de Santiago fort built by the Portuguese 500 years earlier was discovered near Padang Pahlawan, Malacca.
• 24 July – Malaysia and Singapore jointly submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a dispute concerning sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh (Pedra Branca), Middle Rocks and South Ledge.[11]
• 24 July – The Federal Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM) was declared an illegal organisation by the federal government because its activities posed a threat to national security. Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali the leader of the FSFM and 24 of its members were arrested.[12]
• 3 August – Abdul Malik Mydin became the first Malaysian and Southeast Asian to cross the English Channel by swimming from Dover, England to Calais, France.[13]
• August – Naza Ria, Malaysia's first MPV vehicle was launched.[14]
• 26 August – Sultanah Bahiyah of Kedah, a consort of Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah died of cancer. She was buried at the Kedah Royal Mausoleum in Langgar.[15]
• 31 August – The quick-march version of Negaraku national anthem reverted to the original slow-march version.[16]
• 31 August – Malaysia's first monorail transit system, KL Monorail began operations.[17]
• September – The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) signed a deal to purchase two of the French Scorpène-class submarines worth almost $1 billion.[18]
• 23 September – Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia's largest integrated media group of companies was launched.[19]
• 3 October – Berjaya Times Square, the highest shopping complex in Malaysia was officially opened.[20]
• 15 October – The opening of Malacca Tropical Fruit Farm in Malacca.
• 16–17 October – The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) General Conference was held in Putrajaya.[21]
• 22 October – Alor Star was granted city status.[22]
• 31 October – Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became the fifth prime minister, replacing Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.[23]
• 25 November – The construction of the SMART Tunnel projects began.[24]
• 26 November – A rockfall on the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) near the Bukit Lanjan interchange caused the expressway to close for more than six months.[25]
• 1 December – 14 passengers were killed in an early morning collision involving two buses – a school bus which was converted for commercial use and an express bus – at the 63rd kilometre of the Kuala Lipis-Merapoh trunk road near Merapoh, Pahang. 23 others were injured.[26]
• December – The Malaysian National Service (Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN)) was introduced as the conscription training program.

Births

16 July:Kishore Ragubathi aka Pundaeraja.

Deaths

• 12 February – Ahmad Nor – DAP vice-chairman and former Cuepacs president
• 18 Mac – Dato' Seri Dr. Hj. Mohammad Eusuff Teh - Founder of Zaitun Industri Berhad
• 8 June – Raja Tun Mohar Raja Badiozaman – Perodua chairman and Special Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister
• 5 July – Tun Sulaiman Ninam Shah – UMNO annual meeting permanent chairman.
• 9 August – Ali Bakar – Footballer
• 26 August – Sultanah Bahiyah of Kedah
• 19 October – Dato' Seri Harun Idris – Former Selangor Menteri Besar.
• Unknown date – Dato' Dr Mokhzani Abdul Rahim – Chairman of the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) Malaysia and a writer of the Kuala Lumpur Corporate Capital book.
• Unknown date – M. Amin – Actor and director.
• Unknown date – Tan Sri Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad – Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya.
• Unknown date – Tun Mohd Adnan Robert – Sabah state Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) (1977–1987)

See also

• 2003
• List of Malaysian films of 2003
• 2002 in Malaysia | 2004 in Malaysia
• History of Malaysia

References

1. "Johor to promote education tourism - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
2. "BBC NEWS | Business | Malaysia bans tobacco ads". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
3. "PPSMI dimansuhkan mulai 2012". Malaysiakini (in Malay). 2009-07-08. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
4. "GERBANG PERDANA". www.gerbangperdana.com.my. Archived from the original on 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
5. "Hacken Lee – Malaysians for Peace Concert & Rally 2003". www.9-creativision.com. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
6. "Mahathir thanks NAM conference staffers - Nation | The Star Online". Retrieved 2017-07-22.
7. "Sultan Sharafuddin crowned ninth Ruler of Selangor - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
8. "Yahoo! Groups". groups.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
9. "Sukhoi Su-30 story in colours. Sukhoi Su-30 fighter worldwide camouflage and painting schemes. Prototypes, experimental planes, variants, serial and licensed production, deliveries, units, numbers. Russia, India, China, Malaysia, Venezuela, Belarus, Ukraine, Algeria, Vietnam, Eritrea, Angola, Uganda". sukhoi.mariwoj.pl. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
10. "Canny Ong - a 'surreal' murder". Malaysiakini. 2003-06-27. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
11. hermes (2017-02-04). "MFA: Singapore studying closely KL's application over Pedra Branca". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
12. "Polis pantas tangani PKPM - Pak Lah". Utusan Online. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
13. "English Channel hero Malik takes the plunge - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
14. "Naza to assemble 2 new Kia models - Business News | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
15. "Sultanah Bahiyah laid to rest in Royal Mausoleum - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
16. "BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | New anthem marks Malaysia's Independence Day". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
17. Shen-Li, Leong. "Over 170,000 use monorail in first 15 days - Nation | The Star Online". Retrieved 2017-07-22.
18. "Malaysian Crews Begin Training in France". www.defense-aerospace.com. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
19. "Media Prima Berhad | About Us". www.mediaprima.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
20. "A new shopping landmark in KL - Business News | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
21. "Sidang Kemuncak OIC ke-10 2003 - News". ww1.utusan.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
22. "City status for Alor Star - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
23. "BBC ON THIS DAY | 31 | 2003: End of Mahathir era in Malaysia". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
24. "SMART (Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel), Kuala Lumpur". Road Traffic Technology. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
25. "Rockfall at New Klang Valley Expressway - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
26. "Kuala Lipis bus crash continues to grab headlines - Nation | The Star Online". Retrieved 2017-07-22.