2003 in Malaysia

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 Yahya 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)

January

• 1 January — Visit Johor Year 2003 officially began.^[1]
• 1 January — The indirect advertising of tobacco brands are banned by the Malaysian federal government.^[2]
• 4 January — The Mathematics and Science subject in English are introduced to all primary and secondary schools for the first time.^[3]

February

• 14 February — The Southern Integrated Gateway projects (New CIQ complex and new bridge) in Johor Bahru is officially launched by the then Malaysian prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.^[4]
• 23 February – About 200,00 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 is held in Kuala Lumpur.^[6]

March

• 9 March — Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah is crowned as the 9th Sultan of Selangor.^[7]

April

• 5 April – A 64-year-old man from Jerantut, Pahang died of Severe Acute Respiatory Syndrome (SARS) virus.^[8]

May

• May — The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) signed a deal to purchase 18 of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM jet fighters worth almost $1 billion. The Su-30MKMs will be delivered in batches starting in early 2007. As part of the deal, the Russians will 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 seat at a table set up at a roadside in front of a 24-hour restaurant in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

June

• 14 June – IT analysis, Canny Ong was raped and murdered to death. 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 Porto de Santiago fort built by the Portuguese 500 years ago has been discovered near Padang Pahlawan, Malacca.

July

• 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) has been declared an illegal organisation by the federal government because its activities were deemed illegal and posed a threat to national security. Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali the leader of the FSFM and 24 members were arrested

^[12]

August

• 3 August — Abdul Malik Mydin become first Malaysian and Southeast Asian to cross English Channel by swimming from Dover, England to Calais, France.^[13]
• August — Naza Ria, Malaysian first MPV vehicle is launched.^[14]
• 26 August – Sultanah Bahiyah of Kedah, a consort of Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah died due to cancer. She was buried at the Kedah Royal Mausoleum in Langgar.^[15]
• 31 August — The quickmarch version of Negaraku national anthem has changed to the original slowmarch version.^[16]
• 31 August — Malaysia's first monorail transit system, KL Monorail has begun in operations.^[17]

September

• September — The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) signed a deal to purchase 2 of the French Scorpène class submarines worth almost $1 billion.^[18]
• 9 September — Channel 9 it was national sixth private commercial terrestrial television channel in Malaysia 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, officially began transmission of broadcasters to be replaced by MetroVision.
• 23 September — Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia's largest integrated media group of companies is launched.^[19]

October

• 3 October — Berjaya Times Square, the highest shopping complex in Malaysia is 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 is held in Putrajaya

^[21]

• 22 October — Alor Star was granted city status.^[22]
• 31 October — Abdullah Ahmad Badawi becomes the fifth prime minister replacing Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.^[23]

November

• 25 November — The construction of the SMART Tunnel projects has begun.^[24]
• 26 November — A rockfall in the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) near the Bukit Lanjan interchange caused the expressway to close for more than six months.^[25]

December

• 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. Twenty-three others were injured.^[26]
• December — The Malaysian National Service (Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN)) is introduced as the conscription training program.

Main theme

Keranamu Malaysia

National Day Parade

• Putrajaya (new locations replaced Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur)