مردکا

thumb|300px|A 1985 painting in Indonesia commemorating the [[Independence of Indonesia bearing the words "Merdeka!"]] thumb|Tunku Abdul Rahman as he proclaimed Malaysian independence on 31 August 1957, chanting "Merdeka!" seven times|300px Merdeka (Jawi: ; , ) is a term in Indonesian and Malay which means "independent" or "free". It is derived from the Sanskrit maharddhika (महर्द्धिक) meaning "rich, prosperous, and powerful". In the Malay Archipelago, this term had acquired the meaning of a freed slave. The term is also used in other Indonesian languages.