1996 in Malaysia

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
• Sultan of Terengganu: Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah
• Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tengku Naquiddin
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang: Tun Dr Hamdan Sheikh Tahir
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca: Tun Syed Ahmad Al-Haj bin Syed Mahmud Shahabuddin
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak: Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Mohammed Noor
• Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah: Tun Sakaran Dandai

  Events

• 6 January - A landslide blocked the North–South Expressway 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 Rasah 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.
• February - First Le Tour de Langkawi cycling tour.
• 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.
• 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, Malaysian 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 - Malaysia's first domestically produced motorcycle, Modenas Kriss was launched.
• 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 Phase 1 from Sultan Ismail to Ampang.
• 1 October - The Kuala Lumpur Tower at Bukit Nanas was officially opened by Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.
• 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.
• 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 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
• 22 June - Raysha Rizrose - Actress
• 3 July – Kumaahran Sathasivam - Footballer
• 31 July – Chacha Maembong - Actress
• 4 August – Syazwan Andik - Footballer
• 10 August – Ifwat Akmal - Footballer
• 28 August – Didi Astillah - Singer
• 2 October – Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed - Footballer
• 26 November – Muhd Monir - Footballer
• 3 December – Muhammad Farhan Roslan - Footballer

  Deaths

• 22 May – Wong Peng Soon — Former badminton player
• Unknown date – Sher Mohamed Allah Baksh — Assistant Commissioner of Police
• Unknown date – Abdul Hamid Bidin — Malaysian Armed Forces general
• Unknown date – PP Narayanan — Former Malaysian Workers Union president
• Unknown date – Ibu Enjah – First "Ibu Mithali" award recipient
• Unknown date – S. Roomai Noor — Actor
• Unknown date – Ali Fiji — Actor
• Unknown date – Ibrahim Din — Actor