Malaysia Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Malaysia

Type· Federation of Malay sia formed 9 July 1963 Malaysia: constitutional monarchy nominally headed by Paramount Ruler (King), a bicameral Parliament consisting of a 58-member Senate and a 154-member House of Representatives

Peninsular Malaysian states: hereditary rulers in all but Penang and Melaka where Governors appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of state governments limited by federal constitution

Sabah: self-governing state within Malaysia in which it holds 16 seats in House of Representatives; foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

Sarawak: self-governing state within Malaysia in which it holds 24 seats in House of Representatives; foreign affairs, defense, and internal security, and other powers are delegated to federal government

Capital: Peninsular Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Sabah: Kota Kinabalu

Sarawak: Kuching

Political subdivisions: 14 states (including Sabah and Sarawak)

Legal system: based on English common law; constitution came into force 1963; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of Supreme Head of the Federation; has not accepted compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction

National holiday: 31 August, Independence Day

Branches: nine state rulers alternate as Paramount Ruler for five-year terms; locus of executive power vested in Prime Minister

and Cabinet, who are responsible to bicam eral Parliament (Senate, House of Representatives); following communal rioting in May 1969. government imposed state of emergency and suspended constitutional rights of all parliamentary bodies; parliamentary democracy resumed in February 1971

Peninsular Malaysia: executive branches of 11 states vary in detail but are similar in design; a Chief Minister, appointed by hereditary ruler or Governor, heads an executive council (cabinet), which is responsible to an elected, unicameral legislature

Sarawak and Sabah: executive branch headed by Governor appointed by central government, largely ceremonial role; executive power exercised by Chief Minister who heads parliamentary cabinet responsible to unicameral legislature; judiciary part of Malaysian judicial system

Government leader: Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad, Prime Minister (since July 1981)

Suffrage: universal over age 21

Elei tions: minimum of every five years; last elections April 1982

Political parties and leaders: Peninsular Malaysia: National Front, a confederation of 11 political parties dominated by United Malay National Organization (UMNO), Mahathir bin Mohamad; major opposition parties are Democratic Action Party (DAP), Chen Man Hin; and Pan Malayan Islamic Party (PAS\ Yusof Rawa

Sabah: Berjaya Party, Datuk Haji Mohamad Noor Haji Mansodr; Bersatu Sabaj (PBS), Joseph Pairin Kitingan; United Sabah National Organization (USNO), Tun Datuk Mustapha

Sarawak: coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka Bumipatra Bersatu (PBB\ Datuk Abdul Taib; the United People’s Party (SUPP), Wong Soon Kai; and the Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Datuk James Wong; opposition is Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Leo Moggie

Voting strength: Peninsular Malaysia. (1982 election) lower house of parliament; National Front 132 seats; DAP, 9 seats; PAS, 5 seats; independents, 8 seats

Sabah: (April 1985 election) State Assembly—Berjaya Party, 6 seats; USNO, 16 seats; PBS 26 seats

Sarawak:(1979 election) State Assembly National Front controlled about 30 of 46 seats

Communists: Peninsular Malaysia: approximately 2,000 armed insurgents on Thailand side of Thai/Malaysia border approximately 200 full-time inside Peninsular Ma laysia

Sarawak: less than 100, North Kalimantan Communist Party

Sabah: insignificant

Member of: ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, Association of Tin Producing Countries, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, 1FC, 1LO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, 1TC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Malaysia on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Malaysia 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Malaysia 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.