Federation of Malaysia
Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia.
It consists of two geographical regions divided by the South China Sea:
Peninsular Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula is bordered to the
north by Thailand and to the south by Singapore;
East Malaysia, the northern part of the island of Borneo is
bordered to the south by Indonesia and borders the
Sultanate of Brunei on the east, south, and west.
Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor is
the southernmost tip of the Asia continent.
Persekutuan Malaysia - Malay
Federation of Malaysia - English
National motto: Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu
(Malay: Unity Is Strength)
Official language; Malay
Capital; Kuala Lumpurą
Paramount Ruler; Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin
Prime Minister; Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Area; 329,750 km˛
Population; 25,180,000 (2003)
Independence; - Date from the UK, August 31, 1957
GDP; (PPP) - Total (2002) $198.4 billion, $8,800/capita
Currency; Ringgit
Time zone; UTC +8
National anthem; Negaraku
Internet TLD; .my
Calling Code; 60 (020 from Singapore)
(1) The federal administration has moved
to newly-built Putrajaya
History
The Malay Peninsula developed as a major Southeast
Asian commercial centre, as trade between China
and India and beyond flourished through the busy
Straits of Malacca since ancient time.
Ptolemy showed it on his early map with the label
'Golden Chersonese' with the Straits of
Malacca as Sinus Sabaricus.
The earliest recorded Malay kingdoms grew from
coastal city-ports established in the 10th Century AD.
These include Langkasuka and Lembah Bujang in Kedah,
as well as Beruas and Gangga Negara
in Perak and Pan Pan in Kelantan.
Islam arrived in the 14th century in Terengganu.
In the early part of the 15th Century, the
Sultanate of Malacca was
established under a local dynasty.
Its prosperity attracted invaders from Portugal
and the port became the centre of colonial
expansion involving the Dutch and British,
which successively dominated the Straits.
The British crown colony of the Straits Settlements
was established in 1826 and Britain gradually
increased its control over the rest of the peninsula.
The Straits Settlements included Penang,
Singapore and Malacca. Penang was established
in 1786 by Captain Francis Light as a military
as well as a commercial outpost.
Its development was soon overshadowed by
Singapore, established by Sir
Stamford Raffles in 1819.
Malacca came into British hands after the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 and two years later,
the Straits Settlements were formed.
These settlements were collectively ruled
from the British East India Company seat of
government in Calcutta until 1867 when their
administration was transferred
to the Colonial Office in London.
It was at about this time that many Malay states
decided to elicit British's help in
settling their own internal conflicts.
Within ten years of the end of the transfer
movement, several west coast Malay
States came under British influence.
The role of the merchants of the Straits Settlements
saw the British government intervening into
the affairs of the tin producing
states in the Malay Peninsula.
Coupled with Chinese Secret Society disturbances
and civil war, British gunboat diplomacy was
employed to bring about a peaceful resolution
that favoured the merchants of the Straits Settlements.
Finally, the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the
way for British expansion and by the turn of
the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor,
Perak and Negeri Sembilan, known together as
the Federated Malay States (not to be confused
with the Federation of Malaya), were under the
rule of British residents who took orders from
the High Commissioner in Singapore, who was also
the Governor of the Straits Settlements.
This officer in turn received orders
from the Colonial Office in London.
The other Peninsular states were known as
the Unfederated Malay States and, while not
directly under rule from London, had British
advisors in the Sultans' courts.
The four northern states of Perlis, Kedah,
Kelantan and Terengganu were
previously under Thai control.
British North Borneo (currently the state of Sabah)
was a British Crown Colony formerly under the
rule of the Sultanate of Sulu, whilst the huge
jungle territory of Sarawak was the
personal fiefdom of the Brooke family.
Following the Japanese occupation during World
War II popular support for independence grew,
coupled with a communist insurgency.
Post-war British plans to form a 'Malayan Union'
were scuppered by strong Malay opposition who
wanted a more pro-Malay system, rejecting
Singapore's inclusion and demanding only single
citizenship as opposed to the dual-citizenship
option which would have allowed the significant
immigrant communities to have claimed citizenship
in both Malaya and their country of origin.
Independence was achieved for the peninsula
in August 31, 1957 under the name of the
Federation of Malaya, which did not include Singapore.
A new federation under the name of Malaysia was
formed on September 16, 1963 through a merging of
the Federation of Malaya and the British crown
colonies of Singapore, North Borneo (renamed Sabah)
and Sarawak, the latter two colonies being
on the island of Borneo.
The Sultanate of Brunei, though initially
expressing interest in joining the Federation
pulled out due to opposition from certain
segments of the population as well as
wrangling over the payment of oil royalties.
The early years were marred by Indonesian
efforts to control Malaysia, Singapore's
eventual secession in 1965 and
racial strife in 1969.
The Philippines also made an active claim
on Sabah on that period based upon the
Sultanate of Brunei's cession of its
north-east territories to the
Sultanate of Sulu in 1704.
The Philippine claim is still on-going.
After 1969, the controversial New Economic
Policy - intended to increase the share
of the economic pie owned by locals as
opposed to other ethnic groups - was
launched by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak.
Malaysia has since maintained a delicate
ethno-political balance, and developed a
unique rule combining economic growth and a
political rule that favours ethnic Malayans
(known as bumiputras) and moderate Islam.
In the late 1990s, when Malaysia was shaken
by the Asian financial crisis, considerable
opposition to the existing system was put down
by the government, including democratic opposition
as well as proponents of a stricter Islamic rule.
Politics
The federation of Malaysia is a
constitutional elective monarchy.
It is nominally headed by the Paramount
Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly
referred to as the king.
Kings are selected for five-year terms from
among the nine sultans of the Malay states,
the other four states have titular Governors.
The system of government is closely modelled on
that of Westminster, due to Malaysia's
being a former British Colony.
In practice however, more power is vested
in the executive branch of government
than the in the legislative.
The general election must be held
at least once every five years.
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, literally
"National Hall") and the House of Representatives
(Dewan Rakyat, literally "People's Hall").
All 69 Senators sit for 6-year terms; 26 are
elected by the 13 state assemblies,
and 43 are appointed by the king.
The 219 members of the House of Representatives
are elected from single-member districts by
universal adult suffrage,
for a maximum term of 5 years.
Legislative power is divided
between federal and state legislatures.
The state goverments are led by chief
ministers (Menteri Besar) selected by the
state assemblies advising their
respective sultans or governors.
States of Malaysia
Malaysia is divided into fourteen political
divisions: thirteen states (negeri) and
three federal territories (wilayah persekutuan)
that collectively has the status of a state.
Eleven states and two federal territories
are in Peninsular Malaysia.
Two states and one federal territory are in East Malaysia.
The states are: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca,
Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis,
Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu.
The federal territories are: Kuala
Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya.
Geography
Map of Peninsular and East Malaysia
(Click to enlarge)
The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated
from each other by the South China Sea,
share a largely similar landscape in that
both West- and East Malaysia feature
coastal plains rising to often densely forested
hills and mountains, the highest of which
is Mount Kinabalu at 4,101 m on the island of Borneo.
The local climate is equatorial and characterised
by the annual southwest (April to October)
and northeast (October to February) monsoons.
Putrajaya is the newly created administrative
capital for the federal government of Malaysia,
aimed in part to ease growing congestion
within Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
The prime minister's office moved in 1999 and
the move is expected to be completed in 2005.
Kuala Lumpur remains the seat of parliament,
as well as the commercial and financial
capital of the country.
Other major cities include George Town,
Ipoh and Johor Bahru.
Economy
Malaysia, a middle income country, transformed
itself from 1971 through the late 1990s from a
producer of raw materials into an emerging
multi-sector economy via the
controversial New Economic Policy (NEP).
Growth is almost exclusively driven by exports
- particularly of electronics - and, as a result,
Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic
downturn and the slump in the information
technology (IT) sector in 2001.
GDP in 2001 grew only 0.3% due to an estimated
11% contraction in exports, but a substantial
fiscal stimulus package has
mitigated the worst of the recession.
Kuala Lumpur's stable macroeconomic environment,
in which both inflation and unemployment stand
at 3% or less, coupled with its healthy foreign
exchange reserves and relatively small external
debt make it unlikely that Malaysia will experience
a crisis similar to the Asian financial crisis of
1997, but its long-term prospects are somewhat
clouded by the lack of reforms in the corporate
sector, particularly those dealing with
competitiveness and high corporate debt.
The major stock exchanges are
Bursa Malaysia and the MESDAQ.
Demographics
Malaysia's population is comprised of many ethnic
groups, with the politically dominant
Malays making up the majority.
By constitutional definition,
all Malays are Muslim.
About a quarter of the population are Chinese,
who have historically played an important
role in trade and business.
Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about
7% of the population and include Hindus,
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists.
About 85% of the Indian community is Tamil,
but various other groups are represented,
including Malayalis, Punjabis, and Chettiars.
Non-Malay indigenous groups make up more than
half of the state of Sarawak's population,
constitute about 66% of Sabah's population,
and also exist in much smaller numbers on the
Peninsula, where they are
collectively called Orang Asli.
The non-Malay indigenous population is divided
into dozens of ethnic groups, but they share
some general cultural similarities.
Until the 20th century, most practiced
traditional beliefs, but many have
converted to Islam or Christianity.
Other Malaysians also include those of,
inter alia, European, Middle Eastern,
Cambodian, and Vietnamese descent.
Europeans and Eurasians include British who colonised
and settled Malaysia and some Portuguese, and most Middle
Easterners are mostly Arabs who first brought Islam
to Malaysia.
A small number of Kampucheans and Vietnamese
settled in Malaysia as Vietnam War refugees.
Population distribution is uneven, with some
20 million residents
concentrated on the Malay Peninsula.
May 13, 1969 saw an incident of civil unrest which
was then thought to be largely due to the
socio-economic imbalance of
the country along racial lines.
This incident led to the adoption of the New
Economic Policy as a two-pronged approach to
address racial and economic inequality and
to eradicate poverty in the country.
Culture
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays,
Chinese and Indians living side by side.
The Malays are the largest community,
numbering 60% of the population.
They are Muslims, speak Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and
are largely responsible for the
political fortunes of the country.
The Chinese comprise of about a
quarter of the population.
They are mostly Buddhists (of Mahayana sect),
Taoists or Christian, and speak the Hokkien,
Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew dialects, and
have been historically dominant
in the business community.
The Indians account for about 10% of the population.
They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India,
speaking Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and
live mainly in the larger towns on the
west coast of the peninsula.
There is also a sizeable Sikh community.
Eurasians, Kampucheans, Vietnamese, and indigenous
tribes make up the remaining population.
Most Eurasians are Christians.
Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and Malay descent,
speak a Portuguese creole, called Papia Kristang.
Cambodians and Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists
(Cambodians of Theravada sect and Vietnamese, Mahayana sect).
Malay is the official language of the
country but English is widely spoken.
The largest indigenous tribe in terms of numbers
is the Iban of Sarawak, who number over 600,000.
The Iban who still live in traditional jungle
villages live in longhouse along the Rajang and
Lupar rivers and their tributaries.
The Bidayuh (170,000) are concentrated in the
south-western part of Sarawak.
The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan.
They are largely Christian subsistence farmers.
The Orang Asli (140,000), or aboriginal peoples,
comprise a number of different ethnic
communities live in Peninsular Malaysia.
Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and
agriculturists, many have been sedentarised and
partially absorbed into modern Malaysia.
However, they remain the
poorest group in the country.
Malaysian traditional music is heavily
influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms.
The music is based largely around the gendang
(drum), but includes percussion instruments
(some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed
string instrument; the serunai, a double-reed
oboe-like instrument; flutes; and trumpets.
The country has a strong tradition of dance
and dance dramas, some of Thai,
Indian and Portuguese origin.
Other artistic forms include wayang kulit
(shadow-puppets), silat (a stylised martial
art) and crafts such as batik,
weaving and silver and brasswork.
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