Malaysia—Profile

(2001 est. pop. 22.2 million). An independent federation in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy whose capital is Kuala Lumpur, and whose major ports are Penang city and Klang. Its total area is 329,750 square kilometers.

Malaysia consists of two parts: West Malaysia, also called Peninsular Malaysia or Malaya, on the Malay Peninsula, including the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pinang, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka (Malacca), and Johor, and coextensive with the former Federation of Malaya and one federal territory, Wilayah Persekutuan, which is coextensive with the city of Kuala Lumpur; and East Malaysia, including the island states of Sabah and Sarawak (the former British colonies of North Borneo and Northwest Borneo) on the island of Borneo and two federal territories, Putrajaya and the island of Labuan. The two parts are separated by about 640 kilometers of the South China Sea.

West Malaysia borders Thailand on the north and Singapore on the south (separated by the narrow Johore Strait), with the South China Sea on the east and the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea on the west. East Malaysia is bordered on the north by the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea, on the east by the Celebes Sea, and on the south and west by Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Along the coast in Sarawak is the independent nation of Brunei.

Both East and West Malaysia have coastal plains and narrow, steep mountains in the interiors. In Peninsular Malaysia the Main Range, or Banjaran Titiwangsa, runs from the Thai border southward to Negeri Sembilan. The highest point is in Sabah— Mount Kinabalu (4,101 meters). The longest rivers in the country are the Rajang (approximately 760 kilometers) in Sarawak, the Kinabatangan (560 kilometers) in Sabah, and the Pahang (322 kilometers) in West Malaysia.

Lying close to the equator, Malaysia has a tropical, rainy climate with high temperatures and high humidity. Nearly three-fourths of the land area is covered with tropical rainforest. Rice cultivation is practiced throughout the country.

West Malaysia, with more than 80 percent of the total population of Malaysia, is more densely populated than East Malaysia. Most of the population of East Malaysia is concentrated on the west coast, which is economically more developed. Of the total population, about 60 percent are of Malay or indigenous descent, over 30 percent are Chinese, and some 10 percent are Indian or Pakistani. In West Malaysia, Malays make up about one-half of the population, Chinese one-third, and Indians and Pakistanis one-tenth. In East Malaysia, the two largest groups are the Chinese and the Iban (Sea Dayaks), an indigenous people, who together make up about three-fifths of the total population. Conflict between the ethnic groups, particularly between Malays and Chinese, has played a defining role in Malaysian political history.

Islam is the religion of about half the people of Malaysia and is the official religion; nearly all Malays are Muslims. The Chinese are largely Buddhist, Confucian, or Taoist, and the Indians are mostly Hindu. Christianity is also embraced by a small minority, and in Sabah and Sarawak the indigenous peoples generally follow traditional beliefs.

Bahasa Malaysia (Melayu), based on the Malay language, is the country's official language. Other principal languages are English, Chinese, and Tamil, an Indian language. Education is free between the ages of six and nineteen years. Primary education is provided in the four major languages, with English as the compulsory second language. Malaysia's institutions of higher education have increased to twelve in recent years. They include Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) and the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Sains Malaysia in Pulau Pinang, International Islamic University, University of Technology, and Universiti Utara.

The Malaysian economy is based principally on the production of raw materials for export, including petroleum, rubber, tin, and timber. The country also has significant textile and electronic-equipment industries. It has been one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, largely because of its steadily expanding manufacturing, industrial, and electronic sectors, which propelled the country to an 8 to 9 percent yearly growth rate from 1987 to 1992.

During the early 1990s the Barisan government, dominated by the United Malay National Organizationand including the Malaysian Chinese Association, the Malaysian Indian Congress, and other parties representing ethnic groups, privatized large industries that had been under state control, but there were allegations of political corruption and nepotism in awarding privatization contracts. The Asian financial crisis of 1997 slowed the economic development of the country, but it quickly recovered toward the end of the 1990s as a result of the introduction of capital-control measures aimed at creating stable domestic conditions along with price stability.

The major cities on the Malay Peninsula are connected by railroads with Singapore, and an extensive road net covers the west coast, with the North-South Highway forming a main artery. The country has six international airports—Kuala Lumpur, Pulau Pinang, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru (Senai), Kuching, and Tawau.

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. The Malaysian constitution is derived from the constitution of the Federation of Malaya, which was promulgated on Merdeka (Independence) Day, 31 August 1957. The constitution of the Federation was the product of a constitutional commission consisting of constitutional experts from Australia, India, and Pakistan. The Malaysian head of state is the king (the Yang di-Pertuan Agong), who is elected every five years by the nine hereditary rulers of Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Johor. The king appoints the cabinet, headed by the prime minister, who must be a member of the cabinet and have the confidence of the house of representatives (Dewan Ra'ayat). The prime minister is the chief executive officer of the government and has tremendous power of patronage.

The parliament has two chambers. In 2000, the house consisted of 180 members, all elected by popular vote in single-member districts. Representatives of the lower house are popularly elected for five-year terms. Legislative power is divided between the federal and state legislatures. Senators serve for six years. Two senators are elected by each state legislature, and the rest are appointed by the head of state. Malaysia has universal adult suffrage.

The leading national political organization of Malaysia is the National Front, a multiracial coalition of thirteen parties. Its predecessor was the Alliance Party; in one incarnation or the other it has controlled the government since 1957. It is dominated by the United Malay National Organization, with the Malaysian Chinese Association, GERAKAN (the Malaysian People's Movement Party), and the Malaysian Indian Congress as other major parties. Other major opposition parties include the Democratic Action Party, the Pan-Malayan Islamic Party, and the Justice Party.

The Malaysian legal system reflects British influence as it adheres closely to the Westminster model of the U.K. parliament. It has two houses of parliament, namely the elected House of Representatives and the appointed House of Lords. The king is the supreme head of the government, assisted by the prime minister and the cabinet ministers. The judicial system consists of lower courts at urban and rural centers, two high courts having original and appellate jurisdiction, and a supreme court. Certain civil and domestic matters are under the jurisdiction of Islamic courts.

Malaysia is a member of the United Nations and many of its specialized agencies, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. It also has membership in the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Five-Power Defense Arrangement, the Movement of Nonaligned Nations, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Ho Khai Leong

Means, Gordon P. (1991) Malaysian Politics: The Second Generation. Singapore: Oxford University Press.

Ryan, N. J. (1969) The Making of Modern Malaysia and Singapore. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Oxford University Press.

Winstedt, R. O. (1969) Malaya and Its History. London: Hutchinson University Library.

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