GOVERNMENT

OF MALAYSIA
‫بهاس مليسيا‬
Essential Malaysian Government concepts
Malaysia comprises 13 states and 3
federal territories
Each state has its own written constitution,
legislative assembly, and executive council, which
is responsible to the legislative assembly and
headed by a chief minister.
Senators are elected by state legislatures
or appointed by the king; members of the
House are directly elected by the people..
Malaysia has two constituencies of law.
•Law for the entire nation and is set by
parliament and requires two-thirds
majority to amend.
•Syariah or Islamic law which applies to
Muslims. The states normally determine
syariah.
Malaysia has a bicameral parliament
Composed of a 70-member Senate
and a 222-member House of
Representatives.
 Political Systems
01 Constitutional Monarchy

02 Parliamentary Democracy

03 Federalism/Federation
 Constitutional Monarchy
Constitution + Monarchy

Ruled by 9 Kings/Monarch (power is

01 not absolute);

The yang di-pertuan agong (king or supreme

02 sovereign), elected by and from among the
nine hereditary rulers of Malaysia’s states.

This monarch is selected for a five-year

term from among their own number by the
03 nine hereditary rulers (sultans) of
Peninsular Malaysia.
 Parliamentary Democracy
Parliament + Democracy

People elect their

representatives otherwise known
‘Members of Parliament’

MPs + Senators = Cabinet

Democratic system = election
Government Structure
Malaysia’s 3 tiers of Government
 Local
Government
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FEDERAL Jurisdictions are:
Headed by
(a)Internal Security
GOVERNMENT (terrorist attacks)
Yang di- Pertuan Agong

(a) Capital city region of Kuala (b)Foreign Affairs

Lumpur (Relationship with Ministry
(b) Administrative capital
other countries) -Formulate plans, controls, and
of Putrajaya coordinate government policies.
(c) Island of Labuan off the (c) Economy
coast of East Malaysia (d)Civil and criminal law
(e)Citizenship Department
- Implement government policies

Concurrent list:
(f) Social welfare
Public Enterprise
(g)Scholarship -Classified as Statutory and
(h)Public Health and Non-Statutory
Sanitation
(i) Culture and sports
 Ruled by SULTANS such as the
STATE Jurisdictions are: Peninsular states of JOHOR,
KEDAH, KELANTAN, PAHANG, 
(a)Islamic Law
GOVERNMENT (b)Malay Culture
(c) Land
PERAK, SELANGOR, AND
 TERENGGANU.
Led by CHIEF MINISTERS
(d)Agriculture
and has its own EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL (In Sabah and (e)State works MALACCA, PENANG ,
Sarawak – CABINET) (f) State Holidays SABAH, SARAWAK (governed
by GOVERNOR OF STATE
Concurrent list: ‘Yang
(g)Social welfare di- Pertuan Negeri ’)
(h)Scholarship
(i) Public Health and All states in Malaysia are subdivided into
districts. In Sarawak and Sabah,
Sanitation
however, these districts are grouped
(j) Culture and sports into larger administrative units called
divisions.
 Your Picture Here

LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
Your Picture Here Your Picture Here
IN MALAYSIA
The local government in Malaysia is
the lowest tier of government in
Malaysia administered under the
states and federal territories which in
turn are beneath the federal tier.
Your Picture Here
Officials are appointed by the State
Government
 Local Government’s Jurisdictions

collect taxes (in the form of create laws and grant licenses and permits
assessment tax) rules (in the form of by- for any trade in its area of
laws) jurisdiction

planning and developing providing basic amenities,

the area under its collecting and managing
jurisdiction. waste and garbage
 Types of Local Government

The enforcement of Local Prior to the 1973 restructuring

Government Act 1976 established in exercise, there were 6 types of
essence only two types of local local governments. The total
councils - one for municipality and number of local councils in
one for rural area. Malaysia then was 418.

However, a city status can be The types were:

conferred to a municipal council
by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong City Council
with the consent of the Municipal Council
Conference of Rulers once it Town Council
reached the necessary criteria. Town Board

Rural District Council

154 local authorities Local Council
15 City councils
39 Municipal councils
95 District councils
5 modified local authorities
Local Authorities
City Council (Majlis Bandaraya)
Mayors
Kuala Lumpur City Hall

Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran)

President (Yang Di-Pertua)
Kajang Municipal Council

District Council (Majlis Daerah)

President (Yang Di-Pertua)
Hulu Selangor District Council
Special and modified local council
(Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan)
Councilors are appointed by the state
governments.
 
 Laws governing local authorities
in Malaysia
Acts of Parliament Sabah and Sarawak
Local Government Act Article 95D of the
Malaysian Constitution
1976 (Act 171)
Bars the Parliament to
create laws pertaining land
and local government for
the states of Sabah and
Organizational Sarawak. Furthermore,
structure, functions and article 95E excludes the
responsibilities of a states from following laws
local council. formulated by the National
Council for Local
Government.
Sabah Sarawak
Local Authority
Ordinance 1996
Local Government
This ordinance is the
Ordinance 1961 successor of pre-
independence law, the
Local Government
Ordinance 1948.
Outlines the responsibility Other ordinances:
and function of local Building Ordinance 1994
councils in Sabah. A state Protection of Public
ministry, the Ministry of Health Ordinance 1999
Local Government and Kuching
Housing, created for the Municipal Ordinance 1988
first time after the state City of Kuching North
election in 1963, governs Ordinance 1988.
the operation of local
authorities in the state.
Federal
Constitution of 1957
The constitution of 1957 gave the exclusive power to
govern local governments to the state except those in
the federal territories. However, a constitutional
amendment was made in 1960 that provides for the
establishment of a consultative committee called the
National Council for Local Government.

Membership of this council consist of a federal cabinet

minister as the chair, a representative from
each state governments as well as no more than 10
representatives of the federal government.
.
 Sabah and Sarawak
East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur)
Sabah (formerly British North Borneo)
and Sarawak were separate British West Malaysia
colonies from Malaya, and did not become
part of the Federation of Malaya in 1957. East Malaysia

Both of them retained a higher Sabah

degree of local government and
legislative autonomy than other states in
West
Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia or
Semenanjung)
Sarawak
For example, both states
have their own immigration controls,
requiring Malaysian citizens from West
Malaysia to carry passports or identity
cards when visiting East Malaysia.
 Branche
s
of the

Governm
ent

Executive
Main Powers:
King – Head of state
Prime Minister – Head of
government, leads the
cabinet members
Cabinet members and
Civil Service
Election Process:
•Monarch/King is elected by
hereditary state rulers.
•The prime minister is
designated by parliament.
Election Cycle:
At least ONCE within 5
years
Legislative
Main Powers:
•Dewan Negara/senate (upper
house) reviews legislation that has
been passed by the lower house. If Judiciary
the Dewan Negara rejects a bill, it
can delay the bill’s passage by only Main Powers:
a year before it is sent to the King. The highest court and the final
•Dewan Rakyat/Hall of the People appellate court in Malaysia.
(lower house) of parliament - all bills
must be passed by both houses
before they are given Royal Assent.
Election Process:
Justices appointed by the
Election Process: monarch on advice of the
Dewan Negara has 70 prime minister.
members, 44 members (appointed
by the monarch) Election Cycle:
26 members (elected by state Mandatory retirement age of
legislatures)
65 years old.
Dewan Rakyat has 222 members
are elected by plurality vote in
single-member constituencies.
Election Cycle:
Dewan Negara: 3 year
Dewan Rakyat: 5 years
 Functions and powers
.

Executive Legislative
This branch governs the country Parliament is the legislative
according to the laws made by the authority for the federation and it
parliament. enacts laws to be enforced
nationwide.

Judiciary
Evaluates, interprets, and practices
the law.
 Judiciary Courts
(Federalized Court System)

01 02 03
Civil Courts Syariah Courts Native Courts
(Only have jurisdictions (Sabah and Sarawak)
on State Islamic Law
which involves Muslims)

FEDERAL COURT
•Highest level of civil courts in Malaysia
•Sole arbiter between constitutional disputes
•States vs States and States vs Federal
•Final court of appeal, and it has exclusive jurisdiction in
constitutional matters
Thank you