Favourite Articles

  • Property sector slows down amid economic turmoil

    The uncertainties over the world economic prospects have started to take a toll on the local property market.Transactions have been slowing down in the past…

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  • Hot grabs outside Klang Valley

    Major property developers have been snapping up large plots of land worth well over a billion ringgit, even as the global economic scene turned more…

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  • Hike in RPGT a realistic percentage, says minister

    The 5% increase in the real property gains tax (RPGT) for properties held for two years or less is a realistic percentage, according to the…

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  • Asian property investors most conservative

    Asian property investors are least likely to take investment risks, according to the annual Global Investor Sentiment Survey conducted by Colliers International.The global commercial real…

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  • Property prices on Penang more resilient, says expert.

    A leading property expert said he does not expect property prices in Penang to see a major correction if there is a global downturn.

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  • Low-cost housing projects lift other property prices

    Middle and high-end properties are getting more expensive partly because developers are passing on the costs they have to bear in building low-cost houses.

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  • Malaysia Budget 2012: Property sector highlights

    Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in tabling Budget 2012 in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday Oct 7, 2011 announced several proposals related to…

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  • MRT to have big impact on property prices

    Property valuers and developers expect the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project to have significant impact on the prices of residential and commercial properties…

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  • Malaysian Construction growth up 7%

    The construction sector is expected to get more prominence in the Economic Report 2011/2012 with its growth targeted at 7% in 2012 from 3.4% in…

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  • Malaysian Economic Outlook 2012

    The government projects the economic growth to pick up in 2012, with gross domestic product (GDP) expanding between 5% and 6%. This is a more…

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  • Malaysia property market to be stable.

    The Real Estate & Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (Rehda) is confident the property market can be stable amid the gloomy global economic outlook. Its chairman…

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  • The Malaysian Budget 2012

    The RM230.833 billion Federal Government Budget 2012 proposals, unveiled on Friday, Oct 7, will focus on seven core areas including reducing the impact of inflation…

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Malaysia: Constitution And Legal System

Malaysia has the longest serving democratically elected government in the world Malaysia has the longest serving democratically elected government in the world and is considered a model of political stability and an inspiration to other countires in Asia.

Malaysia is constitutional monarchy nominally headed by a paramount ruler (The King) and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a non-elected upper house and an elected lower house.

All Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government. The powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution. Under the terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., the right to maintain their own immigration controls).

Sabah holds 25 seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak has 31 seats

Head of State: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13 December 2006). The King's position is primarily ceremonial; in practice, selection is based on principle of rotation among rulers of states

Head of Government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003);

Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004)

The Cabinet is appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler.
 
The paramount ruler is elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms. The last election was held on 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011).

The prime minister is 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.

Legislative branch:
     
Malaysia has a bicameral Parliament or Parlimen which consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara with 70 seats and  a House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat with 222 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms.

In the Senate, 44 seats are appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 elected by 13 state legislatures; to serve three-year terms with a limit of two terms

Elections for the House of Representatives were last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013).
 
Election results:
House of Representatives BN coalition 140 seats, opposition parties 82 seats
Percent of vote - BN coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%-

Judicial branch:
     
Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of Sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts

Political parties and leaders:
     
National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN (ruling coalition) consists of the following parties:

Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [KOH Tsu Koon - acting];
Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong];
Malaysian Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting];
Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy VELLU];
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP];
Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan];
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB Mahmud];
Parti Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING];
Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee];
Sarawak United People's Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam];
United Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi];
United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK];
People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or PPP [M.Kayveas];
Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP [William MAWAN])
People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) or PR (opposition coalition) consists of the following parties:: Democratic Action Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]
 
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