GOVERNMENT
Malaysia
is a constitutional monarchy, nominally headed by the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong ("paramount ruler"), customarily referred to as
the king. Kings are elected for 5-year terms from among the nine
sultans of the peninsular Malaysian states. The king also is the
leader of the Islamic faith in Malaysia.
Executive
power is vested in the cabinet led by the prime minister; the
Malaysian constitution stipulates that the prime minister must
be a member of the lower house of parliament who, in the opinion
of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commands a majority in parliament.
The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of parliament
and is responsible to that body.
The bicameral
parliament consists of the Senate (Dewan Negara) and the House
of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat). All 70 Senate members sit for
6-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, and 44
are appointed by the king. Representatives of the House are elected
from single-member districts by universal adult suffrage. The
219 members of the House of Representatives are elected to parliamentary
terms lasting up to 5 years. Legislative power is divided between
federal and state legislatures.
The Malaysian
legal system is based on English common law. The Federal Court
reviews decisions referred from the Court of Appeal; it has original
jurisdiction in constitutional matters and in disputes between
states or between the federal government and a state. Peninsular
Malaysia and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak each
have a high court.
The federal
government has authority over external affairs, defense, internal
security, justice (except civil law cases among Malays or other
Muslims and other indigenous peoples, adjudicated under Islamic
and traditional law), federal citizenship, finance, commerce,
industry, communications, transportation, and other matters
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Malaysia's predominant political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), has held power in coalition with other parties since independence in 1957. The UMNO coalition's share of the vote declined in national elections held in May 1969, after which riots broke out in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere, mainly between Malays and ethnic Chinese. Several hundred people were killed or injured. The government declared a state of emergency and suspended all parliamentary activities.
In the years that followed, Malaysia undertook several initiatives that became integral parts of its socioeconomic model. The New Economic Plan (NEP), launched in 1971, contained a series of affirmative action policies designed to benefit Malays and certain indigenous groups (together known as bumiputera or "sons of the soil"). The Constitution was amended to limit dissent against the specially-protected and sensitive portions of the Constitution pertaining to the social contract. The government identified intercommunal harmony as one of its official goals. The previous alliance of communally based parties was replaced with a broader coalition -- the Barisan Nasional (BN) or National Front. The BN won large majorities in the 1974 federal and state elections.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister between 1981 and 2003, leading UMNO and BN to successive election victories. Mahathir emphasized economic development during his tenure, in particular the export sector, as well as large scale infrastructure projects. Mahathir attributed the success of the Asian tiger economies to the "Asian values" of its people, which he believed were superior to those of the West. Mahathir sharply criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF), international financiers such as George Soros, and Western governments during the sharp economic and financial crisis that affected Asia in 1997-8, and denied that the downturn was due to the failures of corruption and "crony capitalism."
The end of Mahathir's tenure was marred by a falling out with his deputy and presumed successor, Anwar Ibrahim. In September 1998, Mahathir dismissed Anwar and accused him of immoral and corrupt conduct. Although Anwar was convicted on both charges in 1999 and 2000, the trials were viewed as seriously flawed. Malaysia's Federal Court eventually freed Anwar after overturning his immoral conduct conviction in September 2004.
Mahathir stepped down as prime minister in October 2003 after 22 years in power, and his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was sworn into office. Abdullah called elections and won an overwhelming victory in March 2004, with Barisan Nasional taking 199 of 219 seats in the lower house of parliament. UMNO itself won 110 seats. The Islamic opposition party (PAS), which had made electoral inroads in 1999, was reduced to six seats in parliament and lost control of the state of Terengganu. The left of center Democratic Action Party (DAP), with predominately urban ethnic Chinese support, won 12 seats in parliament, and party chairman Lim Kit Siang became Leader of the Opposition in parliament.
Since taking office, Abdullah, an Islamic scholar, has promoted the concept of "Islam Hadhari" or "civilizational Islam," emphasizing the importance of education, social harmony, and economic progress. His relationship with Mahathir eventually soured, and the former prime minister now expresses regret at supporting Abdullah to be his successor. Under the terms of the constitution Abdullah must next call elections no later than March 2009.
Principal
Government Officials
Prime Minister--Datuk Seri Utama Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Foreign Minister--Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Ambassador to the U.S.--Datin Paduka Rajmah Hussein
Ambassador to the UN--Datuk Hamidon bin Ali
Malaysia
maintains an embassy
in the U.S. at 2401 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008,
tel. (202) 328-2700; a Consulate General in the Los Angeles World
Trade Center, 350 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA, tel.
(213) 621-2991; and a Consulate General at 140 E. 45th Street,
New York, NY 10017, tel. (212) 490-2722.
