Country name
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Malaysia
former :
Malayan Union
Data code
MY
Government type
constitutional monarchy
note:
Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; nominally headed by the paramountruler (king) and a bicameral Parliament; Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditaryrulers in all but Melaka, where governors are appointed by Malaysian Government;powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution; Sabah- self-governing state, holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreignaffairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federalgovernment; Sarawak - self-governing state, holds 27 seats in House of Representatives,with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegatedto federal government
National capital
Kuala Lumpur
Administrative divisions
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) and 2 federal territories*(wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular - wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah,Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang,Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*
Independence
31 August 1957 (from UK)
National holiday
National Day, 31 August (1957)
Constitution
31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963
Legal system
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts inthe Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not acceptedcompulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state:
Paramount Ruler TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman (since26 April 1994) and Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1994)
head of government :
Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); DeputyPrime Minister ANWAR bin Ibrahim (since 1 December 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the paramount ruler from among the members of Parliament
elections:
paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditaryrulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 4 February1994 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister appointed by the paramountruler
election results:
TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman elected paramountruler; percent of vote - NA; Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibniAl-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected deputy paramount ruler; percentof vote - NA
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara(69 seats; 43 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 elected by the state legislatures;elected members serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives orDewan Rakyat (192 seats; members elected by popular vote directly weightedtoward the rural Malay population to serve five-year terms)
elections :
Senate - last held NA April 1995 (next to be held by 2000); House ofRepresentatives - last held 24-25 April 1995 (next to be held by 2000)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House ofRepresentatives - percent of vote by party - National Front 63%, other 37%; seats by party - National Front 162, DAP 9, PBS 8, PAS 7, Spirit of '46 6
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges appointed by the paramount ruler
Political parties and leaders
Peninsular Malaysia:
National Front, a confederation of 14 political parties dominated byUnited Malays National Organization Baru (UMNO Baru), MAHATHIR bin Mohamad;Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), LING Liong Sik; Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia,LIM Keng Yaik; Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), S. Samy VELLU; major oppositionparties are Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Ustaz Fadzil Mohamed NOOR and theDemocratic Action Party (DAP), CHEN Man Hin
Sabah :
National Front, dominated by the UMNO; Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP),Datuk YONG Teck Lee; Parti Democratic Sabah (PDS), Bernard DOMPOK; Parti BersatuRakyat Sabah (PBRS), Datuk Joseph KURUP
Sarawak:
National Front, composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB),Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud; Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP),Datuk Amar Stephen YONG Kuat Tze; Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Datuk Amar James WONG; Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Datuk Leo MOGGIE; major oppositionparty is Democratic Action Party (DAP), LIM Kit Siang
note:
subsequent to the election, the following parties were dissolved - Spiritof '46 (Semangat '46), Tengku Tan Sri RAZALEIGH, president, and Sabah UnitedParty (Parti Bersatu Sabah, PBS), Datuk Seri Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan
International organization participation
APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, Mekong Group, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM III,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission:
Ambassador DALI Mahmud Hashim
chancery:
2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 328-2700
FAX :
[1] (202) 483-7661
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission :
Ambassador John R. MALOTT
embassy:
376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
mailing address:
P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur or American Embassy Kuala Lumpur,APO AP 96535-8152
telephone:
[60] (3) 248-9011
FAX :
[60] (3) 242-2207
Flag description
14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom);there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellowcrescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star aretraditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
NOTE: The information regarding Malaysia on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Malaysia Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Malaysia Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.
