|
|
MALAYSIA
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. It consists of two geographical regions divided by the South China Sea:
Peninsular Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula is bordered to the north by Thailand and to the south by Singapore.
East Malaysia, the northern part of the
island of Borneo (also known as Kalimantan) is bordered to the south by
Indonesia and borders the kingdom of Brunei on the east, south, and west.
History
The Malay Peninsula developed as a major Southeast Asian commercial centre,
as trade between China and India and beyond flourished through the busy
Straits of Malacca since ancient time. Ptolemy showed it on his early map
with the label ‘Golden Chersonese’ with the Straits of Malacca as Sinus
Sabaricus. The earliest recorded Malay kingdoms grew from coastal city-ports
established in the 10th Century AD. These include Langkasuka and Lembah
Bujang in Kedah, as well as Beruas and Gangga Negara in Perak and Pan Pan in
Kelantan. Islam arrived in the 14th century in Terengganu. In the early part
of the 15th Century, the Sultanate of Malacca was established under a local
dynasty. Its prosperity attracted invaders from Portugal and the port became
the centre of colonial expansion involving the Dutch and British, which
successively dominated the Straits.
The British crown colony of the Straits Settlements was established in 1826
and Britain gradually increased its control over the rest of the peninsula.
The Straits Settlements included Penang, Singapore and Malacca. Penang was
established in 1786 by Captain Francis Light as a military as well as a
commercial outpost. Its development was soon overshadowed by Singapore,
established by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Malacca came into British hands
after the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 and two years later, the Straits
Settlements were formed. These settlements were collectively ruled from the
British East India Company seat of government in Calcutta until 1867 when
their administration was transferred to the Colonial Office in London.
It was at about this time that many Malay states decided to elicit British's
help in settling their own internal conflicts. Within ten years of the end
of the transfer movement, several west coast Malay States came under British
influence. The role of the merchants of the Straits Settlements saw the
British government intervening into the affairs of the tin producing states
in the Malay Peninsula. Coupled with Chinese Secret Society disturbances and
civil war, British gunboat diplomacy was employed to bring about a peaceful
resolution that favoured the merchants of the Straits Settlements. Finally,
the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the way for British expansion and by the
turn of the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor, Perak and Negeri
Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States (not to be confused
with the Federation of Malaya), were under the rule of British residents who
took orders from the High Commissioner in Singapore, who was also the
Governor of the Straits Settlements. This officer in turn received orders
from the Colonial Office in London.
The other Peninsular states were known as the Unfederated Malay States and,
while not directly under rule from London, had British advisors in the
Sultans' courts. The four northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and
Terengganu were previously under Thai control. British North Borneo (currently
the state of Sabah) was a British Crown Colony formerly under the rule of
the Sultanate of Sulu, whilst the huge jungle territory of Sarawak was the
personal fiefdom of the Brooke family. Following the Japanese occupation
during World War II popular support for independence grew, coupled with a
communist insurgency. Post-war British plans to form a 'Malayan Union' were
scuppered by strong Malay opposition who wanted a more pro-Malay system,
rejecting Singapore's inclusion and demanding only single citizenship as
opposed to the dual-citizenship option which would have allowed the
significant immigrant communities to have claimed citizenship in both Malaya
and their country of origin. Independence was achieved for the peninsula in
August 31, 1957 under the name of the Federation of Malaya, which did not
include Singapore.
A new federation under the name of Malaysia was formed on September 16, 1963
through a merging of the Federation of Malaya and the British crown colonies
of Singapore, North Borneo (renamed Sabah) and Sarawak, the latter two
colonies being on the island of Borneo. The Sultanate of Brunei, though
initially expressing interest in joining the Federation pulled out due to
opposition from certain segments of the population as well as wrangling over
the payment of oil royalties. The early years were marred by Indonesian
efforts to control Malaysia, Singapore's eventual secession in 1965 and
racial strife in 1969. The Philippines also made a claim on Sabah, which is
still on-going.
After 1969, the controversial New Economic Policy, designed to enrich Malays,
was launched by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. Malaysia has since
maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, and developed a unique rule
combining economic growth and a political rule that favours ethnic Malayans
(known as bumiputras) and moderate Islam.
In the late 1990s, when Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis,
considerable opposition to the existing system was put down by the
government, including democratic opposition as well as proponents of a
stricter Islamic rule.
Politics
The federation of Malaysia is a constitutional elective monarchy. It is
nominally headed by the Paramount Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly
referred to as the king. Kings are selected for five-year terms from among
the nine sultans of the Malay states, the other four states have titular
Governors.
The system of government is closely modelled on that of Westminster, due to
Malaysia's being a former British Colony. In practice however, more power is
vested in the executive branch of government than the in the legislative.
The general election must be held at least once every five years.
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. The cabinet is chosen from among
members of both houses of parliament and is responsible to that body.
The bicameral parliament consists of the Senate (Dewan Negara, literally
"National Hall") and the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat, literally
"People's Hall"). All 69 Senators sit for 6-year terms; 26 are elected by
the 13 state assemblies, and 43 are appointed by the king. The 193 members
of the House of Representatives are elected from single-member districts by
universal adult suffrage, for a maximum term of 5 years. Legislative power
is divided between federal and state legislatures.
The state goverments are led by chief ministers (Menteri Besar) selected by
the state assemblies advising their respective sultans or governors.
States
Malaysia is divided into fourteen political divisions: thirteen states
(negeri) and three federal territories (wilayah persekutuan) that
collectively has the status of a state.
Eleven states and two federal territories are in Peninsular Malaysia. Two
states and one federal territories are in East Malaysia.
The states are: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang,
Perak, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu.
The federal territories are: Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya.
Geography
The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South
China Sea, share a largely similar landscape in that both West- and East
Malaysia feature coastal plains rising to often densely forested hills and
mountains, the highest of which is Mount Kinabalu at 4,101 m on the island
of Borneo. The local climate is equatorial and characterised by the annual
southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons.
Putrajaya is the newly created administrative capital for the federal
government of Malaysia, aimed in part to ease growing congestion within
Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur. The prime minister's office moved in
1999 and the move is expected to be completed in 2005. Kuala Lumpur remains
the seat of parliament, as well as the commercial and financial capital of
the country. Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh and Johor Bahru.
See also List of cities in Malaysia.
Economy
Malaysia, a middle income country, transformed itself from 1971 through the
late 1990s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector
economy via the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP). Growth is almost
exclusively driven by exports - particularly of electronics - and, as a
result, Malaysia was hard hit by the global economic downturn and the slump
in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001. GDP in 2001 grew only
0.3% due to an estimated 11% contraction in exports, but a substantial
fiscal stimulus package has mitigated the worst of the recession.
Kuala Lumpur's stable macroeconomic environment, in which both inflation and
unemployment stand at 3% or less, coupled with its healthy foreign exchange
reserves and relatively small external debt make it unlikely that Malaysia
will experience a crisis similar to the Asian financial crisis of 1997, but
its long-term prospects are somewhat clouded by the lack of reforms in the
corporate sector, particularly those dealing with competitiveness and high
corporate debt.
Demographics
Malaysia's population is comprised of many ethnic groups, with the
politically dominant Malays making up the majority. By constitutional
definition, all Malays are Muslim. About a quarter of the population are
Chinese, who have historically played an important role in trade and
business. Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about 7% of the population
and include Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Buddhists. About 85% of
the Indian community is Tamil, but various other groups are represented,
including Malayalis, Punjabis, and Chettiars.
Non-Malay indigenous groups make up more than half of the state of Sarawak's
population, constitute about 66% of Sabah's population, and also exist in
much smaller numbers on the Peninsula, where they are collectively called
Orang Asli. The non-Malay indigenous population is divided into dozens of
ethnic groups, but they share some general cultural similarities. Until the
20th century, most practiced traditional beliefs, but many have converted to
Islam or Christianity. Other Malaysians also include those of, inter alia,
European, Middle Eastern, Cambodian, and Vietnamese descent. Europeans and
Eurasians include British who colonized and settled Malaysia and some
Portuguese, and most Middle Easterners are mostly Arabs who first brought
Islam to Malaysia. A small number of Kampucheans and Vietnamese settled in
Malaysia as Vietnam War refugees. Population distribution is uneven, with
some 20 million residents concentrated on the Malay Peninsula.
May 13, 1969 saw an incident of civil unrest which was then thought to be
largely due to the socio-economic imbalance of the country along racial
lines. This incident led to the adoption of the New Economic Policy as a
two-pronged approach to address racial and economic inequality and to
eradicate poverty in the country.
Culture
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living
side by side. The Malays are the largest community, numbering 60% of the
population. Malays probably came from the countries north of Malay
Peninsula. They are Muslims, speak Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and are largely
responsible for the political fortunes of the country. The Chinese comprise
of about a quarter of the population. They are mostly Buddhists (of Mahayana
sect), Taoists or Christian, and speak Hokkien, Hakka and Cantonese, and
have been historically dominant in the business community. The Indians
account for about 10% of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from
southern India, speaking Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and live mainly
in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. There is also a
sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians, Kampucheans, Vietnamese, and indigenous
tribes make up the remaining population. Most Eurasians are Christians.
Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and Malay descent, speak a Portuguese creole,
called Papia Kristang. Cambodians and Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists
(Cambodians of Theravada sect and Vietnamese, Mahayana sect). Malay is the
official language of the country but English is widely spoken.
The largest indigenous tribe in terms of numbers is the Iban of Sarawak, who
number over 600,000. The Iban who still live in traditional jungle villages
live in longhouse along the Rajang and Lupar rivers and their tributaries.
The Bidayuh (170,000) are concentrated in the south-western part of Sarawak.
The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan. They are largely
Christian subsistence farmers. The Orang Asli (140,000), or aboriginal
peoples, comprise a number of different ethnic communities live in
Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and
agriculturists, many have been sedentarised and partially absorbed into
modern Malaysia. However, they remain the poorest group in the country.
Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic
forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes
percussion instruments (some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed string
instrument; the serunai, a double-reed oboe-like instrument; flutes; and
trumpets. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas, some
of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang
kulit (shadow-puppets), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as
batik, weaving and silver and brasswork.
|
|
