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(You've been a part of it your whole life without even knowing it.)
Christy Petriccione in Ideas on Jan 25, 2016
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| Christy Petriccione |
Take responsibility.
Participate in your democracy and have your voice heard.
We
are the next generation of people who will be taking over this country;
governing it, running it, voting in and being a part of big, important
elections and policy making.
MALAYSIA is a
Southeast Asian country occupying the Malaysian Peninsula and part of the
island of Borneo. It's known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay,
Chinese, Indian and European influences. The sprawling capital, Kuala Lumpur,
is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang
and skyscrapers including the iconic, 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers.
Latest in Malaysian Politics
Malaysia Politics and Malaysian Political Systems
Malaysia Political Transformation(s)
Malaysia- Constitution and Politics
Constitutional Democracy in Malaysia
Democracy in Malaysia - Essays
Democracy System in Malaysia and Singapore
Legislature: Parliament of Malaysia
Status: National monarchy
MALAYSIA
Politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. Federal legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the courts.
The Constitution of Malaysia is codified and
the system of government is based on the Westminster system. The hierarchy of authority
in Malaysia, in accordance to the Federal Constitution, stipulates the three
branches (administrative components) of the Malaysian government as consisting
of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branch. Whereas, the Parliament
consists of the Dewan Negara (Upper House / House of Senate) and Dewan Rakyat (Lower House / House of
Representatives).
Malaysia
has had a multi-party system since the first direct election of the Federal Legislative Council of the Malaya in
1955 on a first-past-the-post basis. The ruling party since then had
always been the Alliance Party (Malay: Parti Perikatan)
coalition and from 1973 onwards, its successor, the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition.
The
Barisan Nasional coalition currently consists of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and 10 other component parties.
The opposition are made up of the newly formed pact, the Coalition of Hope (Pakatan Harapan),
the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) and other smaller parties.
Although Malaysian politics has been relatively stable, critics allege that "the government, ruling party and administration are intertwined with few countervailing forces." However, since the 8 March 2008 General Election, the media's coverage on the country's politics has noticeably increased...read more>
Although Malaysian politics has been relatively stable, critics allege that "the government, ruling party and administration are intertwined with few countervailing forces." However, since the 8 March 2008 General Election, the media's coverage on the country's politics has noticeably increased...read more>
Useful links
The Most Popular Sites on Malaysian Politics
Ranker: Famous Politicians From Malaysia
wsj.com: Malaysia's 1MDB Scandal
MalaysiaKini: News and Views That Matter
FreeMalaysiaToday
The politics of Malaysia is based on a
federal constitutional monarchy, in which the King is head of state and the
Prime Minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the
federal government and the 13 state governments. Federal legislative power is
vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is
independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive
maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the
courts.
The Government of Malaysia.
Malaysia has a democratic and federal
system of government. A central parliament and 13 state legislative assemblies
share political power. The central parliament consists of two houses, the Dewan Negara (upper
house) and the Dewan Rakyat (lower house). The Dewan Undangan
Negeri (state legislative assemblies) have only
one house. Members of parliament and the assemblies are elected by popular
vote. The political party which wins the greatest number of seats in an
election becomes the party of government.
Malaysia is also a constitutional
monarchy. The head of the central government is the yang di-pertuan agong (king).
Nine of the states have a sultan as their head, and each of the four other
states has a yang di-pertua negeri (governor), appointed by the king.
Constitutional
monarchy
Constitution. The constitution of Malaysia is a written document. It provides the
framework for governing the country. It is the basis for making laws and
sharing power between federal and state governments. It also controls the roles
and functions of administrations and the jurisdiction of courts of law. It
gives the federal government wide powers to control defence, foreign relations,
education, health, finance, trade and industry, and internal affairs. State
governments have their own power especially in agriculture and land
administration, as well as social welfare and religious affairs. When Malaysia
was formed in 1967, it was agreed that Sabah and Sarawak should have greater
powers than the other states.
The constitution guarantees fundamental
liberties for Malaysian citizens. These guarantees include: the right of life;
freedom of speech, assembly and association; freedom from arbitrary arrest;
total prohibition of slavery; equality; freedom of movement; freedom of religion;
freedom of education; and the right to own property. The king may, on the
advice of the prime minister declare a national emergency. At such a time,
citizens have to give up many of their rights in the interest of the country's
security. Two-thirds of the members of both houses of the federal parliament
and the rulers of the states must agree to any important changes in the constitution.
In 1993, the Dewan Rakyat passed an amendment that removed the sultan's constitutional right to personal
immunity from prosecution.
Monarchy. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or king, is Malaysia's head of state. He acts
on the advice of parliament and the cabinet. The king appoints the prime minister
and has the power to agree or refuse to dissolve parliament, even against the
advice of the prime minister. As supreme commander of the armed forces, the
king has the power of mercy in cases of court martial. He also appoints the
judges of the supreme court on the advice of the prime minister.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is an elected
ruler. Members of the Conference of Rulers from the nine states elect one of
their number to be the supreme ruler for a period of five years. They choose
the king on the basis of seniority and rotation.
The Conference of Rulers consists of the
nine rulers of the states and the four governors. The conference has the power
to appoint judges, the election commission, and the public service commission.
It also influences any changes in state boundaries, the laws concerning Islamic
religion made by the federal parliament, and any proposal to change the
constitution.
National government
Parliament. The federal parliament makes and changes laws. It consists of the king
(when he addresses parliament at the beginning of its meeting each year), and
the two houses of parliament, the Dewan Rakyat, and the Dewan Negara.
The Dewan Rakyat
is the lower house of the parliament. It
has a total of 222 elected members. General elections take place every five
years. Malaysia has an f election commission, appointed by the king, which divides
the country into constituencies (voting areas). The people of
each constituency elect one representative to; the Dewan Rakyat. All citizens
of Malaysia who are over the age of 21 years can vote or stand for election.
Voting is not compulsory.
To stand for election as a member of the
Dewan Rakyat, a person must be a citizen and resident in the country. He or she
must not be insane, bankrupt, or a convicted criminal who has been sentenced to
more than a year's imprisonment.
Members of parliament IMP'S) receive a
salary for their services. All MP"s belong to political parties. Members
of parliament may resign their seats at any time, in which case there must be a
new election for the seat within 60 days. The person who presides over the meeting
of parliament is called the Yang di-Pertua
Dewan Rakyat (speaker). The MPs
elect a speaker from one of their number. Two deputy speakers take the chair in
the absence of the speaker.
Dewan Negara is the upper house of the Malaysian parliament. It has 70 members, 26 of
them elected by state legislative assemblies. The king appoints the other 44
members on the basis of their experience, or to represent the professional,
commercial, and minority groups.
Members of the Dewan Negara usually serve
for a period of three years. To be a member of the Dewan Negara a person must
be at least 30 years old. The members of the Dewan Negara elect a Yang di-Pertuan Dewan Negara
(president).
The Dewan Negara has less power to make
laws than the Dewan Rakyat. It meets immediately after the Dewan Rakyat and
reviews any bill passed by that body. The Dewan Negara may initiate some
legislation and may delay laws for one year. In practice, the Dewan Negara
usually agrees with the government, since many of its members are appointed on
the recommendation of the prime minister.
Central government. The prime minister and the cabinet are in charge of the central
government of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister,
who represents the most popular political party at a general election. On the
advice of the prime minister, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong also appoints members
of either the Dewan Rakyat or the Dewan Negara to be ministers in the cabinet.
The cabinet makes long-term plans for the
development and defence of Malaysia. Whenever necessary, the cabinet makes
laws, through parliament, to carry out government policies. Cabinet ministers
supervise the work of government departments and give orders to civil servants.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, having taken
the advice of the prime minister, may also appoint deputy ministers. The
deputies assist the ministers in their responsibilities.
Each minister is in charge of a government
ministry, which contains several government departments. The minister is the
chief executive, linking a group of civil servants to the cabinet. There are
many departments, large and small, which make up the Malaysian bureaucracy.
The federal civil service employs more
than 80,000 people in the various departments. The high-level administrators,
who carry out executive jobs, train at the National Institute of
Administration. The Public Service Department controls the civil service. A
chief secretary heads the entire administrative bureaucracy.
Local government
State
government. State governments (except for Sabah and
Sarawak) have few powers. Their most important functions include control of
land administration, control of local government, provision of housing, welfare
services and water supplies, and the administration of the Islamic religion.
Sabah and Sarawak also have control of immigration.
State rulers. All states of Malaysia, except for Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak
have rulers as their official heads of state. Most rulers have the title of sultan, but the ruler of Perlis is
called the raja and the ruler of Negeri Sembilan is called Yang di-Pertuan Besar.
Most of the rulers are hereditary heads of
states.
Their eldest son succeeds to the throne
when they die. But in Negeri Sembilan, the ruler is elected from among all the
sons of the royal family. In Perak, three royal families take it in turns to
succeed to the throne.
Rulers are the heads of the Islamic
religion in their own states. They also have the same powers in their states as
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has in Malaysia.
Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak have
heads of states who are not hereditary. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints them
to four-year terms on the advice of the chief minister of the state concerned.
The heads of state have much the same position as the rulers in the other nine
states, but have no religious function and lack the traditional authority of
the ruler.
Legislative assemblies. State legislative assemblies closely
resemble the Dewan Rakyat in their organization. There is no senate or upper
house at state level. The assemblies hold debates and pass laws on matters
that come within the powers of the states. The people of each state elect
representatives to the legislative assemblies for five-year terms. The members
of the legislative assemblies receive salaries, and most belong to political
parties.
Each state has a set number of members in
its legislative assembly, Johor has 56, Kedah 36, Kelantan 45, Melaka 28,
Negeri Sembilan 36, Pahang 42, Penang 40, Perak 59, Perlis 15, Sabah 60,
Sarawak 71, Selangor 55, and Terengganu 31.
Executive councils are the cabinets of the
state governments. They are usually called the majlis kerajaan. In the
states of Sabah and Sarawak they are known as cabinets. The head
of the executive council in each of the nine states that have rulers is the menteribesar. In the
four other states, the chief minister is called ketua menteri. The minister’s function is largely similar to that of the prime minister in the federal government.
The state executive councils differ
slightly from the cabinets in that they have three nonelected official members.
These are the state secretary, the state legal adviser, and the state
financial officer. These officials have the right to attend the meetings of the
council but they cannot vote on any decision. Their function is mainly to
advise the council on matters in which they are competent.
State
administrators. Most states have several administrative
districts. The exceptions are Perlis, which is too small, and Sabah and
Sarawak, which are large and also have subdistricts. A district officer and
several assistant officers administer each district. They implement the
decisions of local authorities and coordinate the activities of local, state,
and federal government departments. In addition, each state has its own civil
service headed by the state secretary. There are about 20,000 state civil
servants.
Local
government. Local government is largely the
responsibility of individual states. The federal government has certain powers
through the National Council for Local Government. This body coordinates the
work of local councils, municipalities, and city councils. It calls meetings of
the local authorities. It also makes decisions which are binding on both the
federal and the state governments. The federal government has direct control of
the government of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan Island.
Kuala Lumpur city has a city council with
the mayor as the chief executive, assisted by the director general of Kuala
Lumpur city.
There are four other local authorities
with the status of cities in Malaysia: Ipoh, George Town, Penang, and the twin
cities of Kuching North and Kuching South in Sarawak. Each of the cities-is
under the control of a mayor, who administers them through the city councils.
History
Malaya was divided into states, similar to
the present states, before 1800. Local chiefs held considerable power in most
of the central and southern states. The Siamese (Thai) often overran the
northern states.
British influence in Malaya began in 1786,
when the British East India Company leased the island of Penang from the sultan
of Kedah. British authorities continued to expand their activities in Malaya
and in neighbouring areas throughout the 1800's. By the late 1930's, there were
three types of territories in Malaya under varying degrees of British rule. The
Straits Settlements, which consisted of Melaka, Penang, and Singapore, were
gov- erned directly by British officials (see Straits Settlements). The
Federated Malay States—Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, and Selangor—were partly
ruled by British officials. But they left some powers in the hands of the
rulers. The rulers of the five unfederated Malay states—Johor, Kedah, Kelantan,
Perlis, and Terengganu- retained even wider powers. Both Sabah and Sarawak were
British protectorates..
After World War II ended in 1945,
Singapore was separated from Malaya, and Sabah and Sarawak became British
colonies. In 1948, British and Malayan leaders agreed to form the Federation of
Malaya, a union of all the Malayan states. The agreement paved the way for Malaya's independence by setting up a legislative council and an executive
council, which later developed into a national parliament and cabinet. Malaya
gained full independence in 1957. In 1959, Singapore won independence in home
affairs, but its defence and foreign policy remained under British control.
In 1963, Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and
Singapore joined together to form the new state of Malaysia.
Tunku Abdul Rahman, who had previously
been the prime minister of the Federation of Malaya, became the first prime
minister of Malaysia.
During the first years of its life, the
government of Malaysia had to face many strains. President Sukarno of Indonesia
objected to the fact that Sabah and Sarawak had joined Malaysia, and he began a
policy that he called "confrontation." Indonesia organized a series
of armed invasions into Malaysian territory, especially Sarawak. The attacks
forced the Malaysian government to increase defence spending, rather than
improve other government services.
In addition, the new state of Malaysia was
strained by a series of disputes between the federal government and the
Singapore government. The disputes were partly about political ideas and partly
about the sharing of federal and state revenues. Eventually, both governments
decided that it was impossible for them to agree, and in 1965, Singapore left
Malaysia and became independent. The government amended the constitution of
Malaysia to include only Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak.
King of
Malaysia (Yang di-Pertuan Agong)
The Federation of Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy.
Officially the head of state is the Highest Governor or Yang di-Pertuan Agong
(the king). The Malaysian kings are chosen for a 5 year term from the 9 sultans
of the states of the Malaysian peninsula. The present King is Abdul Halim
Mu'adzam Shah, successor of Mizan Zainal Abidin. On the 14th of October 2011 it
was decided during a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers that the 83
year old Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah would become the next and 14th King of
Malaysia. It will be the first time a Sultan is crowned King two times, as
Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah was already King of Malaysia between 1970 and
1975.
The former King of Malaysia; Mizan Zainal Abidin was the 17th sultan of
the Terengganu province, and with just 36 years of age he was the youngest
sultan ever. Mizan Zainal Abidin is the 13th Malaysian king, and the second
youngest king in the country's history. He was chosen as king at the age of 44.
As almost all sultans in Malaysia, Mizan Zainal Abidin received his education
abroad, and before becoming sultan he occupied several high positions at home
and abroad.
All Kings of Malaysia
1957 -
1960: Abdul Rahman from Negeri Sembilan
1960 -
1960: Hishamuddin Alam Shah from Selangor
1960 -
1965: Syed Harun Putra from Perlis
1965 -
1970: Ismail Nasirrudin Shah from Terengganu
1970 -
1975: Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah from Kedah
1975 -
1979: Yahya Putra from Kelantan
1979 -
1984: Ahmad Shah al-Mustain Billah from Pahang
1984 -
1989: Mahmud Iskandar from Johor
1989 -
1994: Azlan Muhibbudin Shah from Perak
1994 -
1999: Ja'afar from Negeri Sembilan
1999 -
2001: Salehuddin Abdul Aziz Shah from Selangor
2001 -
2006: Syed Sirajuddin from Perlis
2006 -
2011: Mizan Zainal Abidin from Terengganu
2011 -
2016: Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah from Kedah
Government and Prime Minister of Malaysia
The government has the Executive power. It
is conducted by the premier (from 2009 and on: Najib Tun Razak, and before
that, for 6 years Abdullah Ahmad Badawi). The Congress exists of two Houses:
the senate (Dewan Negara) and the House of Commons (dewan Rakyat). The
Malaysian constitution states that the premier has to be elected from the House
of Commons, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (king) eventually picks the new prime
minister.
The Government is composed of members
from both Houses of the Congress, and accounts to them. Early 2004, the
government moved to the newly build Putrajaya. All 69 members of the senate
have a 6 year term of office; 36 are elected by the 13 state meetings, and 42
are appointed by the king. The representatives of the House are chosen from
districts with a member by ways of general voting. The 193 members of the House
of Representatives are elected for a maximum term of office of 5 years. The
legislature is divided between the federal law departments and those of the
state.
The Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime
Ministerof Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia.
He is officially appointed by the King (Yang DiPertuan Agong), who in His Majesty’s
judgement is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of
that House of Representatives, the elected lower house of Parliament. He heads
the Cabinet, whose members are also appointed by the King on the prime minister’s
advice. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet shall be collectively responsible to
Parliament.
List of The Prime Ministers of Malaysia
1957-1970 Tunku Abdul Rahman
1970-1976: Tun Abdul Razak
1976-1981: Tun Hussein Onn
1981-2003: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
2003-2009: Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
2009-201x: Najib Tun Razak
Related articles include:
Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba Abdul Rahman,
Tuanku Abdul Rahman,
Tunku Abdul Rahman Yakub,
Datuk Patinggi Abdul Razak bin Hussein
Tun Abu Bakar Azlan Shah
Burhanuddin al-Hemy
Raja Chulan bin Sultan Abdullah
Fatimah Hashim
Hussein bin Onn,
Tun Ismail bin Abdul Rahman
MacDonald, Malcolm
Tun Mahathir bin Mohammad
Tan Sri Seri Musa Hitam
Datuk Mustapha bin Datu Harun
Onn bin Ja'afar, Dato
Royal families
Tun Veerasamy Thirugnan Sambanthan
Swettenham, Sir Frank
Tan Chee Khoon
Tan Cheng Lock
Dato Sir Clough ThuraisingamRelated articles
Politics of Malaysia
The Mega-Crisis in Malaysian Politics
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed
Dr M sworn in as nation's seventh PM
Law for everyone
When law and politics are entwined
Party riding on the coattails of Dr M
Bersatu bracing for fiery AGM amidst growing criticism
New Malaysia, Old Politics
Understanding Malaysia's Political Earthquake
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