1996 in Malaysia

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: Tengku Naquiddin (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

January

• 6 January – A landslide blocks the North–South Expressway (NSE) near Gua Tempurung, Perak.
• 12 January – The first Malaysian satellite MEASAT 1 is launched by Ariane rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
• 12 January – Seven year-old Tin Song Sheng reported missing while waiting for the bus at the Taman Rasah Chinese Primary School in Taman Melawati, Shah Alam, Selangor to returns his home.
• 17 January – Twenty-four people, seven of them policemen, were injured in rioting at the Sungai Besi camp for Vietnamese illegal immigrants.

February

• February – First Le Tour de Langkawi cycling tour.
• 6 February – The groundbreaking ceremony of the PUTRA-LRT underground rail tunnel from Pasar Seni to Ampang Park.
• 12 February – The Multimedia Super Corridor is established.

March

• 2 March – The body remains of the Malay Sarawakian nationalist Rosli Dhobie was brought back from Kuching Central Prison to Sibu.
• 6 March – Perodua Rusa, Malaysian first domestically manufactured van is launched.

April

• 1 April – Radio Televisyen Malaysia, celebrated its 50 years anniversary
• 18 April – The Sungai Besi camp for Vietnamese illegal immigrants is officially closed.

May

• May – Malaysia's first domestically produced motorcycle, Modenas Kriss is launched.
• May – The construction of the Bakun Dam projects has begun.

June

• 1 June – Astro, Malaysian's first satellite television provider was launched grand opened inaugurated officially by Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad and broadcasts from Kuala Lumpur. This broadcast area was only limited to Klang Valley area.
• June – Malaysia Electric Corporation, Malaysia's first electrical appliances manufacturer is launched.

July

• 2 July – A new version of Malaysian Ringgit RM 2 notes is 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 of them. Six were children.

August

• 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 kills 44 people.

September

• 8 September – Official opening of the Light Rail Transit System (Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan) (STAR LRT) Phase 1 from Sultan Ismail to Ampang.

October

• 1 October – The Kuala Lumpur Tower at Bukit Nanas is officially opened by Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.
• 8 October – The Malay political party, Semangat 46 is officially dissolved.
• 27 October – Michael Jackson held his concert in Malaysia for the first time at Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.

November

• 2 November – The Sungai Buloh Prison in Sungai Buloh, Selangor becomes 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.

December

• 18 December – The Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Terengganu, Tengku Mizan Zainal Abidin marries Nur Zahirah.
• 26 December – Several parts of Sabah were hit by the Greg tropical storms. More than 250 people were killed.

Main theme

Budaya Penantu Kecapaian

National Day Parade

• Kota Kinabalu, Sabah