Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara to stay - Najib

The Merdeka Stadium and Stadium Negara will be retained as the country's heritage sites, despite the proposed Merdeka Heritage Project in the area.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a Facebook post on Thursday said both the stadiums reminded the people of the moments related to the country's independence.

"Stepping into the Merdeka Stadium brought back memories of the moments of our independence from foreign colonisation 59 years ago.

"Here too, we are reminded of the sporting spirits and the bitter-sweet struggles of our veteran football heroes at the national and international levels," he said.

The first phase of the Warisan Merdeka project, expected to be completed in 2020, will become a national icon and a manifestation of Malaysia's success as a developing high-income nation, said Najib during the launch on Wednesday.

He added, Warisan Merdeka was a strategic property development project, located in Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, and would play an important role in unlocking and maximising the value of the landbank.

"As part of the Greater Kuala Lumpur initiative under the Economic Transformation Programme, launched in 2010, the Warisan Merdeka urban renewal development project will generate primary and secondary economic spin-offs for our country," he said.