PHIR student Netusha Naidu, who is currently in Year 2 of her International Relations studies, was appointed as one of the curators for an exhibition called “Jalan Merdeka: Traversing the routes to Independence”.

The purpose of the exhibition was to invite the public to get to know about the story of the Federation of Malaya from an unofficial perspective. This included controversial and forgotten narratives such as labour movements, left-wing nationalist parties, Islamic reformist and militant groups.



Netusha’s goal was to present a more inclusive narrative about the journey to attaining this country's independence.

The main organizer of this exhibition, Asian Heritage Museum, led by its council chair, YAM Tunku Zain al-Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, also used this opportunity to restore Carcosa Seri Negara upon leasing it from the Federal Government.



Formerly known as Carcosa and King's House, these heritage buildings were built in 1896 to serve as the home of the first British High Commissioner, Frank Swettenham. This is where Jalan Merdeka is currently being held.

The exhibition has been running since the beginning of September and will be closing on 31 December 2017.

Jalan Merdeka is free and open to everyone from 8am to 8pm. The venue is located next to Taman Tasik Perdana, Persiaran Mahameru, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. It is accessible by either driving to Carcosa or taking a Grab/Uber/taxi from KL Sentral, as it is only 10 mins from the building. Unfortunately, there is no public transport, but the Uber promo code JMCARCOSA provides a RM7 discount to and from Carcosa.