This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 2008, together with the deaths of notable Malaysians.
Incumbent political figures
Federal level
State level
Events
January
February
March
April
May
June
- 1 June – The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) celebrated its Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary).
- 2 June – The sale of petrol and diesel were strictly prohibited to any vehicle not registered in Malaysia at the international borders in Perlis, Kelantan, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. The ban was lifted on 4 June.
- 4 June – The price of petrol rose from RM1.92 to RM 2.70 per litre. Malaysia's petrol price conversion to US$0.84 per litre was higher compared to China US$0.74, Egypt US$0.32, Indonesia US$0.65, Kuwait US$0.21, Qatar US$0.22, Saudi Arabia US$0.12, Turkmenistan US$0.08, and UAE US$0.37
- 6 June – Malaysia's no.1 squash player, Nicol David was conferred Darjah Bakti (DB) by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.
- 18 June – The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee declared that his party had lost confidence in the prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
- 20 June – Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor celebrated the 100th day of the new Pakatan Rakyat government.
- 26 June – Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced a mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
- 30 June – A lorry smashed into 13 vehicles at Puchong Jaya Interchange of the DamansaraâÂÂPuchong Expressway. One driver was killed and one Myanmar national.
July
- 4âÂÂ8 July – The sixth D8 (Developing 8 Countries) Summit 2008 was held in Kuala Lumpur.
- 7 July – Two historic towns in Malaysia, George Town in Penang and Malacca Town in Melaka state were added to UNESCO's coveted World Heritage List.
- 10 July – Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that he would step down as UMNO president, Barisan Nasional chairman and Prime Minister in June 2010. He announced that he would transfer power to his Deputy, Najib Abdul Razak, a move aimed at reducing the level of political uncertainty in the country.
- 12 July – The world's number one squash player, Nicol David was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) which carries the title "Datuk" by the Penang state governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.
- 15 July – Sultan of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah celebrated his Golden Jubilee after successfully reigning in the state of Kedah for 50 years.
- 16 July – PKR advisor, Anwar Ibrahim was arrested by the police over allegations he sodomised a male aide.
- 19 July – The first Malaysian angkasawan (cosmonaut), Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor was conferred the Darjah Setia Negeri Sembilan (DSNS) which carries the title "Datuk" by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Jaafar.
- 20 July – Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) the largest agricultural exposition park in Malaysia and Asia was opened to the public.
- 29 July – Chelsea FC Asia Tour 2008*. Chelsea FC vs Malaysia, Malaysia lost 0-2
- 31 July – PKR president, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail resigned her parliamentary seat for Permatang Pauh to let her husband Anwar Ibrahim contest a by-election.
August
- 1 August – A lorry carrying boulders crashed into six vehicles at the EastâÂÂWest Link Expressway, in Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, killing two and seriously injuring six.
- 3 August – The Kepong flyover on the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 was closed to all traffic after cracks appeared on pillar 28. This was the third time the 1.7 km MRR2 Kepong flyover was closed because of cracks.
- 7 August – PKR advisor, Anwar Ibrahim was freed on bail after pleading innocent to a sodomy charge.
- 8âÂÂ24 August – Malaysia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. On August 17, Malaysian badminton player, Lee Chong Wei, won a silver medal at these Games. This was the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that Malaysia won a medal at an Olympic Games.
- 20 August – The MISC vessel registered as MT Bunga Melati Dua was hijacked by a group of armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. There were 29 Malaysian nationals and 10 Philippine nationals on board when the incident occurred.
- 22 August – Lakshman is born.
- 23 August – The petrol and diesel price dropped by eight sen and 22 sen respectively. The price of RON97 petrol reduced by 15 sen to RM2.55 a litre from RM2.70, while RON92 cost 22 sen less at RM2.40 a litre from RM2.62 a litre.
- 26 August – The Permatang Pauh by-election took place. PKR candidate, Anwar Ibrahim won in this election with a total majority of 15,671 votes beating BN candidate Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah.
- 27 August – Malaysian national badminton coach Misbun Sidek was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM) award, which carries the title Datuk by the Malacca state governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.
- 28 August – Malaysian badminton player, Lee Chong Wei was conferred the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) award, which carries the title Datuk by the Penang state governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri) Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.
- 29 August – At 9.50 pm another MISC tanker ship registered as MT Bunga Melati Lima was hijacked in international waters off the coast of Yemen.
- 29 August – Budget 2009. Themed as the "Caring Budget", it had three specific strategies to ensure the well being of Malaysians, developing quality human capital and strengthening the nation's resilience.
- 31 August – The closing ceremony of Visit Malaysia 2007.
September
October
November
- 3 November – Deputy prime minister Najib Razak won the UMNO presidency elections.
- 3 November – Tomboy behavior was banned by Islamic clerics (fatwa) in Malaysia.
- 3 November – Newly-elected Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr S. Vijayaratnam died after he fell from the rooftop of his four-storey shop lot.
- 7âÂÂ9 November – The FEI World Endurance Championship 2008 was held in Terengganu.
- 8 November – The Eye on Malaysia ferris wheel opened in Malacca.
- 8 November – Construction of the Penang Second Bridge by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) started.
- 13 November – The price of Roti Canai was reduced by 10 sen.
- 14âÂÂ16 November – The King Of Tennis in Penang
- 17 November – The price of RON97 petrol fell by 15 sen to RM2.00 a litre from RM2.15.
- 18 November – Showdown of Champions Kuala Lumpur 2008
- 18 November – Effective 1 January 2009, Class 1 highway users traveling on the NorthâÂÂSouth Expressway (NSE) and NorthâÂÂSouth Expressway Central Link (ELITE) between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 am were able to enjoy 10 percent toll discount.
- 22 November – The physical and mental disciplines of yoga were banned by Islamic clerics (known as FatwÃÂ).
- 29 November – Hema Kassippillai, one of the Malaysian women who had been reported missing since the terror attacks in Mumbai, India on Wednesday 26 November, was found dead.
- 30 November – Two sisters were buried alive after a landslide crashed on their bungalow at Lot 110, Jalan Belinda 1, Ulu Yam Perdana, Ulu Yam, Selangor.
December
- 1 December – The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex building (Southern Integrated Gateway) was officially named as the Sultan Iskandar Building.
- 3âÂÂ7 December – The 2008 Monsoon Cup yacht race was held in Terengganu.
- 5 December – More than 300 people were forced to evacuate two buildings when a landslide caused part of the retaining wall of a car park to collapse near Amanah Raya Berhad building in Jalan Semantan (Damansara Link on Sprint Expressway), Kuala Lumpur.
- 6 December – Five people were killed and more than eight others were feared buried in a landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa, Ulu Klang, near Kuala Lumpur. The landslide, which is believed to have buried 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman Bukit Utama, occurred at about 4am.
- 7 December – 10 passengers were killed in a bus crash at km 146.8 of the NorthâÂÂSouth Expressway between Tangkak and Pagoh, Johor.
- 11âÂÂ21 December – 2008 ASEAN University Games were held in Kuala Lumpur.
- 15 December – The price of RON97 petrol fell by 10 sen to RM1.80 a litre from RM1.90.
- 15 December – 57 people were arrested for participating in a Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT) campaign in Sungai Choh, Rawang, Selangor.
- 16 December – The Sultan Iskandar Complex was opened to light vehicles.
- 20 December – Malaysian pop singer Mawi married Ekin.
- 27 December – Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and also tenth Yang di-Pertuan Agong (1994âÂÂ1999) died at the age of 86. On 29 December, his body was laid to rest at the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum in Seri Menanti. Shortly before the funeral, Tunku Besar of Seri Menanti, Tunku Muhriz was elected by the four Undangs as the new Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan with the title Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir.
Full date unknown
Births
Deaths
- 24 January â Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub, former cabinet minister and Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (b. 1942)
- 4 February â Richard Ho Ung Hun, former minister and Deputy President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (b. 1927)
- 11 March â Datuk Zakaria Md Deros, controversial political figure and former Port Klang state assemblyman (b. 1946)
- 23 April â Rustam Abdullah Sani, political writer, analyst and former Deputy President of Parti Rakyat Malaysia (b. 1944)
- 30 April â M. G. Pandithan, President of the Indian Progressive Front and former MP for Tapah (b. 1940)
- 1 May â Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin, Group Chairman of Naza (b. 1955)
- 24 June â Tan Sri Eric Chia, former managing director of Perwaja Steel (b. 1934)
- 7 July â Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin, 5th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca and 4th Menteri Besar of Kedah (b. 1925)
- 20 August â Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah, founder and chairman of the Melewar Corporation and former MP for Rawang (b. 1925)
- 4 September â Tan Sri A Samad Ismail, journalist, National Journalism Laureate, writer and editor (b. 1924)
- 20 October â Shamsiah Fakeh, nationalist, feminist and the veteran leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (b. 1924)
- 28 November â Tengku Budriah binti Almarhum Tengku Ismail – Raja Perempuan of Perlis and 3rd Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia (b. 1924)
- 17 December â Nasir P. Ramlee, actor and son of late P. Ramlee (b. 1953)
- 27 December â Tuanku Jaafar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and 10th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (b. 1922)
Dates unknown
See also
References