Malaysia

Malaysia was created in 1963 through the merging of Malaya (independent in 1957) and the former British Singapore, both of which formed West Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak in north Borneo, which composed East Malaysia. The first three years of independence were marred by hostilities with Indonesia. Singapore separated from the union in 1965.

• air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• deforestation;
• smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires

• Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai;
• note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest of which are Iban and Kadazan

constitutional monarchy note:

• Malaya (what is now Peninsular Malaysia) formed 31 August 1957;
• Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left the federation on 9 August 1965);
• nominally headed by the paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;
• Peninsular Malaysian states - hereditary rulers in all but Melaka, Penang, Sabah, and Sarawak, where governors are appointed by the Malaysian Government;
• powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution;
• under terms of the federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration controls);
• Sabah - holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government;
• Sarawak - holds 28 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

• 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular - wilayah persekutuan);
• Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan* note: the city of Kuala Lumpur is located within the federal territory of Wilayah Persekutuan;
• the terms therefore are not interchangeable;
• there may be a new federal territory named Putrajaya

• based on English common law;
• judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

• Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1999);
• Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah head of government: Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981);
• Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 8 January 1999) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms;
• election last held 27 February 1999 (next to be held NA 2004);
• prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected paramount ruler;
• Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin ibni A-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah elected deputy paramount ruler

• Party Islam Se-Malaysia or PAS [FADZIL Mohamad Noor], National Justice Party or NJP [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismail], Democratic Action Party or DAP [LIM Kit Siang], and Malaysian People's Party or PRM [SYED HUSIN]);
• National Front or NF (ruling coalition dominated by the United Malays National Organization or UMNO [MAHATHIR bin Mohammad], includes the following parties: Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC [S. Samy VELLU], Malaysian Chinese Association or MCA [LING Liong Sik], Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia or Gerakan [LIM Keng Yaik], Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud], Parti Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat Bersatu or Akar [PANDIKAR Amin Mulia], Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak or PBDS [Leo MOGGIE], Sarawak United People's Party or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam], Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [CHONG Kah Kiat], Sabah Progressive Party or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee], People's Progressive Party or PPP [M. KAYVEAS], Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP], Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Amar James WONG], Parti Demokratik Sabah or PDS [leader NA], and United Pasok Momogun Kadazan Organization or UPKO (state level only) [Bernard DOMPOK]);
• Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan];
• Parti Bersekutu [HARRIS Salleh];
• State Reform Party of Sarawak or STAR [PATAU Rubis]

chief of mission:

• Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur;
• American Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000

• 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom);
• there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star;
• the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam;
• the design was based on the flag of the US

• Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber;
• Sabah - logging, petroleum production;
• Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging

• Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice;
• Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice;
• Sarawak - rubber, pepper;
• timber

general assessment:

• modern system;
• international service excellent domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay;
• adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei;
• domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations international: submarine cables to India, Hong Kong, and Singapore;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2001)

• involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei;
• Philippines have not fully revoked claim to Sabah State;
• Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca Island) disputed with Singapore;
• Sipadan and Ligitan Islands in dispute with Indonesia