| Malaysia |
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Malaysia is a federation which consists of thirteen states (Negeri) and three federal territories (Wilayah Persekutuan). Eleven states and two federal territories are located on the Malay Peninsula while the remaining two states and one federal territory are on the island of Borneo.
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The nine Malay States have a hereditary Ruler as titular Head of state and an executive Chief Minister or Menteri Besar as politically responsible Head of government. The rulers of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu are styled Sultans (typically Islamic). Only Negeri Sembilan's elective ruler holds the rare, autochthonous Malay title of Yang di-Pertuan Besar, whereas only the Ruler of Perlis is titled Raja. The Federal King (titled Yang di-Pertuan Agong) is elected (de facto rotated) among the nine rulers to serve a 5-year term. Former British settlements and crown colonies of Penang and Malacca (both peninsular) and Sabah and Sarawak (both on Borneo) each have a federally appointed titular Governor (styled Yang di-Pertua Negeri) and an executive Chief Minister or Ketua Menteri.
Each state has a unicameral legislature called Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN, State Assembly). Members of DUN are elected from single-member constituencies drawn based on the population. The state leader of the majority party in DUN is usually appointed Chief Minister by the Ruler or Governor. The term of DUN members is five years unless the assembly is dissolved earlier by the Ruler or Governor on the advise of the Chief Minister. Usually, DUN of the states in Peninsular Malaysia are dissolved in conjunction with the dissolution of the federal parliament, in order to have state elections running concurrently with the parliamentary election. However, Rulers and Governors hold discretionary powers in dissolving the DUN.
Each state sends two representatives to the Dewan Negara (Senate), the upper house of the federal parliament.
As Malaysia is a federation, the governance of the country is divided between the federal and the state governments. The specific responsibilities of the federal and the state governments are listed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia. Theoretically, any matter not set out in the Ninth Schedule can be legislated on by the individual states. However, legal scholars generally view this as a "pauper's bequest" because of the large scope of the matters listed in the Ninth Schedule. The courts themselves have generally favoured a broad interpretation of the language of the Ninth Schedule, thus limiting the number of possible subjects not covered. The Ninth Schedule specifically lists the following matters as those that can only be legislated on by the states: land tenure, the Islamic religion, and local government.[1] Sabah and Sarawak have additional powers as part of the terms when they joined Malaysia, such as immigration controls.
The Parliament of Malaysia is permitted to legislate on issues of land, Islamic religion and local government in order to provide for a uniform law between different states, or on the request of the state assembly concerned. The law in question must also be passed by the state assembly as well, except in the case of certain land law-related subjects. Non-Islamic issues that fall under the purview of the state may also be legislated on at the federal level for the purpose of conforming with Malaysian treaty obligations.[2]
Singapore was a Malaysian
state from the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 until it
separated from the Federation on 9 August 1965.
Brunei was invited to join the
Federation but decided not to at the end due to several issues,
such as the status of the Sultan within
Malaysia, division of Bruneian oil royalties, and pressure from opposition
groups which amounted to the Brunei Revolt.
| Name | Capital | Region | Status | Population | Area (km²) | Pop density (/km²) |
Abbr. | ISO | FIPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor Bahru | West (Peninsula) | State | 3,300,000 | 19,984 | 137.6 | JHR | MY-01 | MY01 | |
| Alor Setar | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,818,188 | 9,426 | 188.7 | KDH | MY-02 | MY02 | |
| Kota Bharu | West (Peninsula) | State | 2,100,000 | 14,922 | 93.8 | KTN | MY-03 | MY03 | |
| — | West (Peninsula) | Fed. Territory | 1,887,674 | 243 | 7747.5 | KUL | MY-14 | ||
| Bandar Labuan | East (Borneo) | Fed. Territory | 85,000 | 92 | 923.9 | LBN | MY-15 | MY15 | |
| Bandar Melaka | West (Peninsula) | State | 733,000 | 1,650 | 432.1 | MLK | MY-04 | MY04 | |
| Seremban | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,004,807 | 6,645 | 137.4 | NSN | MY-05 | MY05 | |
| Kuantan | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,396,500 | 35,964 | 38.2 | PHG | MY-06 | MY06 | |
| Ipoh | West (Peninsula) | State | 2,260,576 | 21,006 | 104.7 | PRK | MY-08 | MY07 | |
| Kangar | West (Peninsula) | State | 215,000 | 810 | 244.9 | PLS | MY-09 | MY08 | |
| George Town | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,503,000 | 1,046 | 1436.9 | PNG | MY-07 | MY09 | |
| — | West (Peninsula) | Fed. Territory | 50,000 | 46 | 1087.0 | PJY | MY-16 | ||
| Kota Kinabalu | East (Borneo) | State | 3,387,880 | 76,115 | 32.2 | SBH | MY-12 | MY16 | |
| Shah Alam | West (Peninsula) | State | 5,000,000 | 7,956 | 628.4 | SGR | MY-10 | MY12 | |
| Kuching | East (Borneo) | State | 2,500,000 | 124,450 | 19.1 | SWK | MY-13 | MY11 | |
| Kuala Terengganu | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,150,286 | 12,955 | 83.0 | TRG | MY-11 | MY13 |
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| Malaysia |
This article is part of the series: |
|
|
|
Government
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
Elections
Foreign Policy
Subdivisions
|
|
Other countriesTemplate:· Atlas Politics portal |
Malaysia is a federation which consists of thirteen states (Negeri) and three federal territories (Wilayah Persekutuan). Eleven states and two federal territories are located on the Malay Peninsula while the remaining two states and one federal territory are on the island of Borneo.
Contents |
Country and regional codes. Note that FIPS 10-4 and ISO 3166-2:MY codes are not interchangeable.
| Regions | Abbreviation | ISO 3166-2:MY | FIPS 10-4N1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johor | JHR | MY-01 | MY01 |
| Kedah | KDH | MY-02 | MY02 |
| Kelantan | KTN | MY-03 | MY03 |
| MelakaN2 | MLK | MY-04 | MY04 |
| Negeri Sembilan | NSN | MY-05 | MY05 |
| Pahang | PHG | MY-06 | MY06 |
| Pulau PinangN2 | PNG | MY-07 | MY09 |
| Perak | PRK | MY-08 | MY07 |
| Perlis | PLS | MY-09 | MY08 |
| Selangor | SGR | MY-10 | MY12 |
| Terengganu | TRG | MY-11 | MY13 |
| Sabah | SBH | MY-12 | MY16 |
| Sarawak | SRW | MY-13 | MY11 |
| W.P Kuala Lumpur | KUL | MY-14 | – |
| W.P Labuan | LBN | MY-15 | MY15 |
| W.P Putrajaya | PJY | MY-16 | – |
| Wilayah PersekutuanN3 | – | – | MY14 |
Template:Seealso
The nine Malay States have a hereditary Ruler as titular Head of state and an executive Chief Minister or Menteri Besar as politically responsible Head of government. The rulers of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu are styled Sultans (typically Islamic). Only Negeri Sembilan's elective ruler holds the rare, autochthonous Malay title of Yang di-Pertuan Besar, whereas only the Ruler of Perlis is titled Raja. The Federal King (titled Yang di-Pertuan Agong) is elected (de facto rotated) among the nine rulers to serve a 5-year term. Former British settlements and crown colonies of Penang and Malacca (both peninsular) and Sabah and Sarawak (both on Borneo) each have a federally appointed titular Governor (styled Yang di-Pertua Negeri) and an executive Chief Minister or Ketua Menteri.
Each state has a unicameral legislature called Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN, State Assembly). Members of DUN are elected from single-member constituencies drawn based on the population. The state leader of the majority party in DUN is usually appointed Chief Minister by the Ruler or Governor. The term of DUN members is five years unless the assembly is dissolved earlier by the Ruler or Governor on the advise of the Chief Minister. Usually, DUN of the states in Peninsular Malaysia are dissolved in conjunction with the dissolution of the federal parliament, in order to have state elections running concurrently with the parliamentary election. However, Rulers and Governors hold discretionary powers in dissolving the DUN.
Each state sends two representatives to the Dewan Negara (Senate), the upper house of the federal parliament.
As Malaysia is a federation, the governance of the country is divided between the federal and the state governments. The specific responsibilities of the federal and the state governments are listed in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution of Malaysia. Theoretically, any matter not set out in the Ninth Schedule can be legislated on by the individual states. However, legal scholars generally view this as a "pauper's bequest" because of the large scope of the matters listed in the Ninth Schedule. The courts themselves have generally favoured a broad interpretation of the language of the Ninth Schedule, thus limiting the number of possible subjects not covered. The Ninth Schedule specifically lists the following matters as those that can only be legislated on by the states: land tenure, the Islamic religion, and local government.[1] Sabah and Sarawak have additional powers as part of the terms when they joined Malaysia, such as immigration controls.
The Parliament of Malaysia is permitted to legislate on issues of land, Islamic religion and local government in order to provide for a uniform law between different states, or on the request of the state assembly concerned. The law in question must also be passed by the state assembly as well, except in the case of certain land law-related subjects. Non-Islamic issues that fall under the purview of the state may also be legislated on at the federal level for the purpose of conforming with Malaysian treaty obligations.[2]
Singapore was a Malaysian state from the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 until Singapore separated from the rest of Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
Brunei was invited to join the federation but decided not to at the last minute because of several reasons, such as the status of the Sultan within Malaysia, division of royalties for Bruneian oil, and pressure from opposition groups which amounted to the Brunei Revolt.
This is a sortable list of the comparison between the primary geographic aspects in all the Malaysian states. Separate and more specific lists can be seen below.
| Name | Capital | Region | Type | Pop. | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) | Abbr. | ISO | FIPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johor | Johor Bahru | West (Peninsula) | State | 3,300,000 | 19,984 | 137.6 | JHR | MY-01 | MY01 |
| Kedah | Alor Setar | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,818,188 | 9,426 | 188.7 | KDH | MY-02 | MY02 |
| Kelantan | Kota Bharu | West (Peninsula) | State | 2,100,000 | 14,922 | 93.8 | KTN | MY-03 | MY03 |
| Kuala Lumpur | — | West (Peninsula) | Fed. Terr. | 1,887,674 | 243 | 7747.5 | KUL | MY-14 | |
| Labuan | Bandar Labuan | East (Borneo) | Fed. Terr. | 85,000 | 92 | 923.9 | LBN | MY-15 | MY15 |
| Melaka | Bandar Melaka | West (Peninsula) | State | 733,000 | 1,650 | 432.1 | MLK | MY-04 | MY04 |
| Negeri Sembilan | Seremban | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,004,807 | 6,645 | 137.4 | NSN | MY-05 | MY05 |
| Pahang | Kuantan | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,396,500 | 35,964 | 38.2 | PHG | MY-06 | MY06 |
| Perak | Ipoh | West (Peninsula) | State | 2,260,576 | 21,006 | 104.7 | PRK | MY-08 | MY07 |
| Perlis | Kangar | West (Peninsula) | State | 215,000 | 810 | 244.9 | PLS | MY-09 | MY08 |
| File:Flag of Penang (Malaysia).svg Pulau Pinang | George Town | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,503,000 | 1,046 | 1436.9 | PNG | MY-07 | MY09 |
| Putrajaya | — | West (Peninsula) | Fed. Terr. | 50,000 | 46 | 1087.0 | PJY | MY-16 | |
| Sabah | Kota Kinabalu | East (Borneo) | State | 3,387,880 | 76,115 | 32.2 | SBH | MY-12 | MY16 |
| Selangor | Shah Alam | West (Peninsula) | State | 5,000,000 | 7,956 | 628.4 | SGR | MY-10 | MY12 |
| Sarawak | Kuching | East (Borneo) | State | 2,500,000 | 124,450 | 19.1 | SRW | MY-13 | MY11 |
| Terengganu | Kuala Terengganu | West (Peninsula) | State | 1,150,286 | 12,955 | 83.0 | TRG | MY-11 | MY13 |
The areas are rounded to the nearest square kilometer or square mile. Percentages are given to the nearest tenth of a percent.
| Rank | Name and flag | Total area (km²) | Total area (mi²) | Percentage of national total area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarawak | 124,450 | 48,050 | 37.7% |
| 2 | Sabah | 76,115 | 29,388 | 23.1% |
| 3 | Pahang | 35,964 | 13,886 | 10.9% |
| 4 | Perak | 21,006 | 8,111 | 6.4% |
| 5 | Johor | 19,984 | 7,716 | 6.1% |
| 6 | Kelantan | 14,922 | 5,761 | 4.5% |
| 7 | Terengganu | 12,955 | 5,002 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Kedah | 9,426 | 3,639 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Selangor | 7,956 | 3,072 | 2.4% |
| 10 | Negeri Sembilan | 6,645 | 2,566 | 2.0% |
| 11 | Malacca | 1,650 | 637 | 0.5% |
| 12 | Pulau Pinang | 1,046 | 404 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Perlis | 810 | 313 | 0.3% |
| 14 | FT Kuala Lumpur | 243 | 95 | 0.1% |
| 15 | FT Labuan | 92 | 36 | >0.1% |
| 16 | FT Putrajaya | 46 | 18 | >0.1% |
| Total | Malaysia | 329,847 | 127,355 | 100.0% |
All the figures in the list below are estimations for 2007.
| Rank | Name and flag | Population | Percentage of national total population (approx.) | Population density (/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selangor | 5,000,000 | 18.0% | 628.4 |
| 2 | Sabah | 3,387,880 | 12.2% | 32.2 |
| 3 | Johor | 3,300,000 | 11.9% | 137.6 |
| 4 | Sarawak | 2,500,000 | 9.0% | 19.1 |
| 5 | Perak | 2,260,576 | 8.2% | 104.7 |
| 6 | Kelantan | 2,100,000 | 7.6% | 93.8 |
| 7 | FT Kuala Lumpur | 1,887,674 | 6.8% | 7747.5 |
| 8 | Kedah | 1,818,188 | 6.6% | 188.7 |
| 9 | Pulau Pinang | 1,503,000 | 5.4% | 1436.9 |
| 10 | Pahang | 1,396,500 | 5.0% | 38.2 |
| 11 | Terengganu | 1,150,286 | 4.2% | 83.0 |
| 12 | Negeri Sembilan | 1,004,807 | 3.6% | 137.4 |
| 13 | Malacca | 733,000 | 2.6% | 432.1 |
| 14 | Perlis | 215,000 | 0.8% | 244.9 |
| 15 | FT Labuan | 85,000 | 0.3% | 923.9 |
| 16 | FT Putrajaya | 50,000 | 0.2% | 1087.0 |
| Total | Malaysia | 27,730,000 | 100.0% | 83 |
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