Malaysia

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Malaysia

Constitution Social contract Yang di-Pertuan Agong Mizan Zainal Abidin Cabinet Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak Legal system Parliament Dewan Negara Dewan Rakyat Judiciary Opposition Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Assembly) Elections Election Commission Political parties/alliances Barisan Nasional Pakatan Rakyat States Anti-Corruption Agency Foreign relations

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The politics of Malaysia takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Constitution of Malaysia, comprising 181 articles is the supreme Law of Malaysia. The social contract in Malaysia refers to the agreement made by the country's founding fathers in the Constitution. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the highest ranking office created by the constitution of the federation of Malaysia The Cabinet of Malaysia is the executive branch of Malaysia 's government The Prime Minister of Malaysia (in Malay Perdana Menteri) is the indirectly elected Head of government of Malaysia. Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi (born 26 November 1939 is a Malaysian politician who has served as Prime Minister since 2003 Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia ( Timbalan Perdana Menteri in Malay) is the second highest political post in Malaysia. Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak (born July 23, 1953, in Kuala Lipis, Pahang) is a Malaysian politician who The law of Malaysia is mainly based on the Common law legal system The Parliament of Malaysia (Parlimen Malaysia is the national Legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The Dewan Negara (literally "National Hall" or Senate is the Upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Rakyat (literally "Hall of the People" or House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. Malaysia is a Federation of thirteen states but judicial power in the federation is almost exclusively vested in a federal court system. The Opposition in Malaysia is a term used to describe political parties represented in the Parliament of Malaysia that is not in government either on its The Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly is the legislature of Malaysian states. Elections in Malaysia (and previously Malaya exist at two levels national level and state level The Election Commission of Malaysia ( Malay: Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia (SPR) is a commission set up for the purpose of regulating and conducting Political parties in Malaysia lists political parties in Malaysia. Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. Pakatan Rakyat or PR ( People's Pact) was established on April 1, 2008. Malaysia is a Federation which consists of thirteen '''states''' ( Negeri) and three '''federal territories''' ( Wilayah Persekutuan This article concerns the Foreign relations of Malaysia. Malaysia is an active member of various international organisations including the Commonwealth of Nations Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Prime Minister of Malaysia (in Malay Perdana Menteri) is the indirectly elected Head of government of Malaysia. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is exercised by the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Senate (Dewan Negara) and the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat). A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Dewan Negara (literally "National Hall" or Senate is the Upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Rakyat (literally "Hall of the People" or House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. Since the formation of Malaysia in 1963, politics has been dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lead component of the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition. The United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO, (Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu is a Right-wing party and Malaysia 's largest Political Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. Although Malaysian politics has been relatively stable, critics allege that "the government, ruling party, and administration. . . are intertwined with few countervailing forces. "^[1]

Political conditions

Malaysia's predominant political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), has held power in coalition with other parties since Malaya's independence in 1957. The United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO, (Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu is a Right-wing party and Malaysia 's largest Political In 1973, an alliance of communally based parties was replaced with a broader coalition — the Barisan Nasional — composed of fourteen parties. Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. Today the Barisan Nasional coalition has three prominent members — the UMNO, MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress). Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA ( Cantonese: MaLoiSaiYa WahYen KoongWui; Persatuan Cina Malaysia The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC or Kongres India Se-Malaysia The Prime Minister of Malaysia has always been from UMNO. The Prime Minister of Malaysia (in Malay Perdana Menteri) is the indirectly elected Head of government of Malaysia.

The political process in Malaysia has generally been described as taking the form of "consociationalism" whereby "communal interests are resolved in the framework of a grand coalition" "Malaysia: Developmental State Challenged". Consociationalism is a form of government involving guaranteed group representation and is often suggested for managing conflict in deeply divided societies In Government and Politics in Southeast Asia' The executive branch has tended to dominate political activity, with the Prime Minister's office being in a position to preside "over an extensive and ever growing array of powers to take action against individuals or organizations," and "facilitate business opportunities". Critics generally agree that although authoritarianism in Malaysia preceded the administration of Mahathir bin Mohamad, it was he who "carried the process forward substantially" Legal scholars have suggested that the political "equation for religious and racial harmony" is rather fragile, and that this "fragility stems largely from the identification of religion with race coupled with the political primacy of the Malay people colliding with the aspiration of other races for complete equality. Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (ma'ħɑðiɽ bin mʊħɑmmæd̚ (recorded as born on 20 December 1925 was the fourth Prime Minister of Ketuanan Melayu ( Malay for Malay supremacy or Malay dominance) is a belief that the Malay people are the tuan (masters "

Like the desire of a segment of the Muslim community for an Islamic State, the non-Malay demand for complete equality is something that the present Constitution will not be able to accommodate. The term Islamic state refers to states that have adopted Islam, specifically the Shari'a or "God's Law" as their ideological foundation for their political institution The Constitution of Malaysia, comprising 181 articles is the supreme Law of Malaysia. For it is a demand which pierces the very heart of the political system — a system based upon Malay political pre-eminence. It is a demand that challenges the very source of Malay ruling elites' power and authority.

In early September 1998, Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and accused Anwar of immoral and corrupt conduct. Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (ma'ħɑðiɽ bin mʊħɑmmæd̚ (recorded as born on 20 December 1925 was the fourth Prime Minister of Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 Anwar said his ouster actually owed to political differences and led a series of demonstrations advocating political reforms. Later in September, Anwar was arrested, beaten while in prison (by among others, the chief of police at the time), and charged with corrupt practices, in both legal and moral contexts, charges including obstruction of justice and sodomy. The crime of obstruction of justice includes crimes committed by Judges Prosecutors attorneys general, and elected officials in general A sodomy law is a Law that defines certain Sexual acts as sex crimes. In April 1999, he was convicted of four counts of corruption and sentenced to six years in prison. In August 2000, Anwar was convicted of one count of sodomy and sentenced to nine years to run consecutively after his earlier six-year sentence. Both trials were viewed by domestic and international observers as unfair. Anwar's conviction on sodomy has since been overturned, and having completed his six-year sentence for corruption, he has since been released from prison. In the November 1999 general election, the Barisan Nasional was returned to power with three-fourths of the parliamentary seats, but UMNO's seats dropped from 94 to 72. The 1999 Malaysian General Election was held on 29 November 1999 as stipulated by the laws of Malaysia for general elections. Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. The opposition Barisan Alternatif coalition, led by the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS), increased its seats to 42. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party or the Islamic Party of Malaysia ( Parti Islam Se-Malaysia) commonly known as PAS or Pas, is an Islamist PAS retained control of the state of Kelantan and won the additional state of Terengganu. Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. Terengganu ( Jawi: ترڠڬانو, formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia

The current Prime Minister is Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (colloquially known as "Pak Lah"). Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi (born 26 November 1939 is a Malaysian politician who has served as Prime Minister since 2003 A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech, writing or Paralinguistics. He took office following the retirement of Dr. Mahathir (now Tun Dr. Mahathir) on October 31, 2003. He is seen as a more compromising and affable figure as opposed to Tun Dr. Mahathir's more confrontational and direct style. He has pledged to continue Tun Dr. Mahathir's growth oriented policies, while taking a less belligerent stance on foreign policy than Tun Dr. Mahathir, who has regularly offended Western countries, the United States of America and Australia in particular. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

In the March 2004 general election, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi led Barisan Nasional to a landslide victory, in which Barisan Nasional recaptured the state of Terengganu. General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front (Barisan Nasional government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi (born 26 November 1939 is a Malaysian politician who has served as Prime Minister since 2003 Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. Terengganu ( Jawi: ترڠڬانو, formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia The coalition now controls 92% of the seats in Parliament. In 2005, Mahathir stated that "I believe that the country should have a strong government but not too strong. A two-thirds majority like I enjoyed when I was prime minister is sufficient but a 90% majority is too strong. . . . We need an opposition to remind us if we are making mistakes. When you are not opposed you think everything you do is right. "

The national media are largely controlled by the government and by political parties in the Barisan Nasional/National Front ruling coalition and the opposition has little access to the media. Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition in Malaysia. The print media are controlled by the Government through the requirement of obtaining annual publication licences under the Printing and Presses Act. Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 is a piece of legislation that requires all print media in Malaysia to obtain a licence and abide by its strict regulations In 2007, a government agency — the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission — issued a directive to all private television and radio stations to refrain from broadcasting speeches made by opposition leaders. The official state ideology is the Rukunegara, which has been described as encouraging "respect for a pluralistic, multireligious and multicultural society". The Rukunegara or sometimes Rukun Negara ( Malay for "National Principles" is the Malaysian declaration of national philosophy However, political scientists have argued that the slogan of Bangsa, Agama, Negara (race, religion, nation) used by UMNO constitutes an unofficial ideology as well. Both ideologies have "generally been used to reinforce a conservative political ideology, one that is Malay-centred"

Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is An elective monarchy is a Monarchy ruled by someone generally from a Royal house, who is elected by a group It is nominally headed by the Paramount Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the highest ranking office created by the constitution of the federation of Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong are selected for five-year terms from among the nine Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection. The Rulers of the Malay States in Malaysia are the seven Sultans of Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang Within Malaysia, the Malay states are the nine states of Peninsular Malaysia that have hereditary Rulers. The king also is the leader of the Islamic faith in Malaysia. The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. The Westminster system is a democratic Parliamentary system of Government modelled after the British government (the Parliament of the United A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. In practice however, more power is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2008. Elections in Malaysia (and previously Malaya exist at two levels national level and state level Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-racial coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly the Alliance). Barisan Nasional ( National Front or BN) is a major political Coalition 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. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Cabinet of Malaysia is the executive branch of Malaysia 's government The Prime Minister of Malaysia (in Malay Perdana Menteri) is the indirectly elected Head of government of Malaysia. The Constitution of Malaysia, comprising 181 articles is the supreme Law of Malaysia. The Parliament of Malaysia (Parlimen Malaysia is the national Legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body.

In recent years the opposition have been campaigning for free and fairer elections within Malaysia. On 10 November 2007, a mass rally, called the 2007 Bersih Rally, took place in the Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur at 3pm to demand for clean and fair elections. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The 2007 Bersih Rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 10, 2007. The Dataran Merdeka (or Merdeka Square) is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The gathering was organised by BERSIH, a coalition comprising political parties and civil society groups(NGOs), and drew supporters from all over the country.

On 11 November, the Malaysian government briefly detained de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday and arrested a human rights lawyer and about a dozen opposition leaders, amid growing complaints the government is cracking down on dissent. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 Dozens of policemen blocked the main entrance to the parliament building in Kuala Lumpur to foil an opposition-led rally demanding free and fair elections. Kuala Lumpur (ˈkwɑːləlʊmˈpʊər Malay /kwɑlɑlʊmpʊ/ and locally /kwɑləlʊmpɔ/ or even /kɔlɔmpɔ/ or often abbreviated as K The rally carried out hand with the attempt to submit a protest note to Parliament over a government-backed plan to amend a law that would extend the tenure of the Election Commission chief, whom the opposition claims is biased.

Malaysia's government has intensified efforts on March 6, 2008 to portray opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim as a political turncoat, days ahead of Malaysian general election, 2008 on March 8, 2008 that will determine whether he poses a legitimate threat to the ruling coalition. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim (born 10 August 1947) is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998 The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [1]Campaigning wrapped up March 7, 2008 for general elections that could see gains for Malaysia's opposition amid anger over race and religion among minority Chinese and Indians. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country [2]. Malaysians voted March 8, 2008 in parliamentary elections. Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [3]. Election results showed that the ruling government suffered a setback when it failed to obtain two-thirds majority in parliament, and five out of 12 state legislatures were won by the opposition parties. [4] Reasons for the setback of the ruling party, which has retained power since the nation declared independence in 1957, are the rising inflation, crime and ethnic tensions. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment [5]

Legislative branch

The Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur

The bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (Dewan Negara) and the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat). The Parliament of Malaysia (Parlimen Malaysia is the national Legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The Dewan Negara (literally "National Hall" or Senate is the Upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The Dewan Rakyat (literally "Hall of the People" or House of Representatives is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All seventy Senate members sit for three-year terms (to a maximum of two terms); twenty-six are elected by the thirteen state assemblies, and forty-four are appointed by the king based on the advice of the Prime Minister. The 222 members of the Dewan Rakyat are elected from single-member districts by universal adult suffrage. Parliament has a maximum mandate of five years by law. The king may dissolve parliament at any time and usually does so upon the advice of the Prime Minister. General elections must be held within three months of the dissolution of parliament. Elections in Malaysia (and previously Malaya exist at two levels national level and state level In practice this has meant that elections have been held every three to five years at the discretion of the Prime Minister. Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. Malaysia has two sources of law. The national constitution, the nation's supreme law, can be amended by a two-thirds majority in parliament. (Since its formation, the BN has never lacked the necessary two-thirds. ) The second source of law is syariah (Islamic law), which applies only to Muslims. Sharia ( Arabic: ar شريعة) is the body of Islamic Religious law. The federal government has little input into the administration of syariah; it falls to the states to implement Islamic law, and interpretations vary from state to state.

State governments

Main article: Federalism in Malaysia

The state governments are led by chief ministers (Menteri Besar or Ketua Menteri, the latter term being used in states without hereditary rulers), selected by the state assemblies (Dewan Undangan Negeri) advising their respective sultans or governors. Federalism in Malaysia dates back to the establishment of the Federated Malay States in Peninsular Malaysia, then known as Malaya Literally "big minister" in Malay, a Menteri Besar is a Chief Executive of the state governments of Perlis, Johor, Kedah, Perak Although Malaysia is a federal state, political scientists have suggested that its "federalism is highly centralised":

Legal system

The Malaysian legal system is based on English common law. The law of Malaysia is mainly based on the Common law legal system The Federal Court reviews decisions referred from the Court of Appeals; 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 has 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.

References