# 1996 in Malaysia

This article lists important figures and events in Malaysian public affairs during the year 1996, together with births and deaths of notable Malaysians.

## Incumbent political figures
### Federal level

* Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Tuanku Jaafar
* Raja Permaisuri Agong: Tuanku Najihah
* Prime Minister: Dato' Sri Dr Mahathir Mohamad
* Deputy Prime Minister: Dato' Sri Anwar Ibrahim
* Chief Justice: Eusoff Chin

### 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 Putra
* Sultan of Perak: Sultan Azlan Shah
* Sultan of Pahang: Sultan Ahmad Shah
* Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah (Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong)
* Sultan of Terengganu: Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah
* Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tunku Naquiyuddin (Regent)
* Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Penang: Tun Dr Hamdan Sheikh Tahir
* Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Malacca: Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin
* Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak: Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Mohammed Noor
* Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah: Tun Sakaran Dandai

## Events

* 6 January – A landslide blocked the North–South Expressway (NSE) near Gua Tempurung, Perak.
* 12 January – The first Malaysian satellite MEASAT 1 was launched by the Ariane rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
* 12 January – Seven year-old Tin Song Sheng reported missing while waiting for the bus at the Taman Rashna Chinese Primary School in Taman Melawati, Shah Alam, Selangor returned home.
* 17 January – Twenty-four people, seven of them policemen, were injured in rioting at the Sungai Besi camp for Vietnamese illegal immigrants.
* 6 February – The ground-breaking ceremony of the PUTRA-LRT underground rail tunnel from Pasar Seni to Ampang Park.
* 12 February – The Multimedia Super Corridor was established.
* 29 February–9 March– First Le Tour de Langkawi cycling tour.
* 2 March – The body of the Malay Sarawakian nationalist Rosli Dhobie was brought back from Kuching Central Prison to Sibu.
* 6 March – The Perodua Rusa, the first domestically manufactured van was launched.
* 29–31 March – 1996 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix
* 18 April – The Sungai Besi camp for Vietnamese illegal immigrants is officially closed.
* May – The construction of the Bakun Dam projects began.
* 2 July – A new version of Malaysian Ringgit RM 2 notes was introduced.
* 16 July – A bus ferrying a group of factory workers and their families on a holiday excursion plunged into a 120m-deep ravine at km 1 of the Genting Sempah–Genting Highlands Highway near the Genting Highlands Resort, killing 17. Six were children.
* 3 August – A widespread power outage in Peninsular Malaysia began at 5:17pm. The states of Peninsular Malaysia including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, Johor, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan lost power for several hours. A transmission line near Sultan Ismail Power Station in Paka, Terengganu tripped at 5:17pm causing all power stations in Peninsular Malaysia to collapse resulting in a massive power failure. Supply was back to normal by 11:00pm. After this blackout, utility giant Tenaga Nasional's stock fell considerably.
* 29 August – A mud avalanche near Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement in Kampar, Perak killed 44 people.
* 8 September – Official opening of the Light Rail Transit System (Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan) (STAR LRT) Phase 1 from Sultan Ismail to Ampang.
* 10 September – Westport was launched.
* 1 October – The Kuala Lumpur Tower at Bukit Nanas was officially opened by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
* 3 October – Malaysia's first domestically produced motorcycle, Modenas Kriss was launched.
* 8 October – The Malay political party, Semangat 46 was officially dissolved.
* 27 October – Michael Jackson held his first concert in Malaysia at Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
* 29 October – Michael Jackson performed for the second time in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
* 2 November – The Sungai Buloh Prison in Sungai Buloh, Selangor became the federal prison, replacing Pudu Prison in Kuala Lumpur.
* 29 November – Official opening of the new Pusat Sains Negara (National Science Centre) building in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.
* 18 December – The Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Terengganu, Tengku Mizan Zainal Abidin married Nur Zahirah.
* 26 December – Several parts of Sabah were hit by the Tropical Depression Greg. More than 120 people were killed.

## Births

* 5 January – Adam Nor Azlin – Footballer
* 14 June – Muhammad Ariff Farhan Mohd Isa – Footballer
* 3 July – Kumaahran Sathasivam – Footballer
* 4 August – Syazwan Andik – Footballer
* 10 August – Ifwat Akmal – Footballer
* 2 October – Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed – Footballer
* 3 December – Muhammad Farhan Roslan – Footballer

## Deaths

* 22 May – Wong Peng Soon — Former badminton player (born 1918)
* 19 Feb – P. P. Narayanan — Former Malaysian Workers Union president