1982 Edition

NOTE

established on 16 September 1963, Malaysia consists of Peninsular Malaysia, which includes 11 states of the former Federation of Malaya, plus East Malaysia, which includes the 2 former colonies of North Borneo (renamed Sabah) and Sarawak

Coastline

2,068 km Peninsular Malaysia, 2,607 km East Malaysia

Land boundaries

509 km Peninsular Malaysia, 1,786 km East Malaysia WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (fishing 200 nm, exclusive economic zone 200 nm)

Peninsular Malaysia

131,313 km2; 20% cultivated, 26% forest reserves, 54% other

Sabah

76,146 km2; 13% cultivated, 34% forest reserves, 53% other

Sarawak

125,097 km2; 21% cultivated, 24% forest reserves, 55% other

Malaysia

50% Malay, 35% Chinese, 10% Indian

4.95 million (1980)

Nationality

noun—Malaysian(s); adjective—Malaysian

Organized labor

562,000 (May 1980), about 11% of total labor force; unemployment about 6.1% of total labor force (1979), but higher in urban areas

Peninsular Malaysia

12,105,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.1%

53% Malay, 35% Chinese, 11% Indian and Pakistani, 1% other

Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu

Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil

about 48% Sabah and Sarawak: 23%

4.1 million; 46.2% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 10.9% manufacturing and construction, 31.9% trade, transport, and services (1980)

Population

14,661,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.3%

Sabah

1,135,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 4.1%

69% indigenous tribes, 21% Chinese, 10% other Sarawak: 50% indigenous tribes, 30% Chinese, 19% Malay, 1% other

38% Muslim, 17% Christian, 45% other

English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese

366,000 (1980); 80% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 6% manufacturing and construction, 13% trade and transportation, 1% other

Sarawak

1,421,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.6%

23% Muslim, 24% Buddhist and Confucianist, 16% Christian, 35% tribal religion, 2% other

English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages

455,000 (1980); 80% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 6% manufacturing and construction, 13% trade, transportation, and services, 1% other

Branches

nine state rulers alternate as Paramount Ruler for five-year terms; locus of executive power vested in Prime Minister and Cabinet, who are responsible to bicameral Parliament; following communal rioting in May 1969, government imposed state of emergency and suspended constitutional rights of all parliamentary bodies; parliamentary democracy resumed in February 1971

Elections

minimum of every five years, last elections July 1978

Government leader

Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad

Legal system

based on English common law; constitution came into force 1963; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of Supreme Head of the Federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Malaysia

constitutional monarchy nominally headed by Paramount Ruler (King); a bicameral Parliament consisting of a 58-member Senate and a 154-member House of Representatives

Member of

ADB, ANRPC, ASEAN, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ISCON, ITC, ITU, NAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

31 August

Official name

Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

executive branches of 11 states vary in detail but are similar in design; a Chief Minister, appointed by hereditary ruler or Governor, heads an executive council (cabinet) which is responsible to an elected, unicameral legislature Sarawak and Sabah: executive branch headed by Governor appointed by central government, largely ceremonial role; executive power exercised by Chief Minister who heads parliamentary cabinet responsible to unicameral legislature; judiciary part of Malaysian judicial system

National Front, a confederation of 11 political parties dominated by United Malay National Organization (UMNO), Mahathir bin Mohamad; opposition parties are Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Islamic Party (PAS)

(1978 election) National Front, 131 of 154 seats in lower house of parliament; Democratic Action Party, 16 seats; Islamic Party, 5 seats; Sarawak People's Organization, 1 seat; 1 independent seat

approximately 3,000 armed insurgents on Thailand side of Thai/Malaysia border; approximately 300 full-time inside Peninsular Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysian states

hereditary rulers in all but Penang and Malacca where Governors appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of state governments limited by federal constitution

Political subdivisions

13 states (including Sabah and Sarawak)

Sabah

self-governing state within Malaysia in which it holds 16 seats in House of Representatives; foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

Kota Kinabalu

Berjaya Party, Datuk Harris Salleh; United Sabah National Organization (USNO), Tun Datuk Mustapha; Sabah Chinese Consolidated Party (SCCP)

(March 1981 Assembly Elections) Berjaya Party controls 43 of 48 seats in State Assembly, USNO 3 seats, SCCP 1 seat, 1 seat vacant Sarawak: (1979 elections) National Front controls 45 of 48 State Assembly seats

insignificant

Sarawak

self-governing state within Malaysia in which it holds 24 seats in House of Representatives; foreign affairs, defense, and internal security, and other powers are delegated to federal government

Kuching

coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka Bumipatra Bersatu (PPBB), Datuk Amar Taib; the United People's Party (SUPP), Ong Kee Hui; and the Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Stephen Ningkan

125 armed insurgents in Sarawak

Suffrage

universal over age 20

Budget

1982 revenue and grants, $4 billion; current expenditure $7.7 billion, capital expenditures $6.5 billion; deficit $2 billion; $2.2 billion military, 80% civilian

Exports

$12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1980); natural rubber, palm oil, tin, timber, petroleum, light manufactures

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 685,107 metric tons (1978)

Imports

$10.2 billion (f.o.b., 1980)

Major trade partners

exports—17% Singapore, 17% US, 23% Japan, 14% EEC; imports—23% Japan, 15% US, 11% EEC (1979)

Malaysia

$21.6 billion (1980), $1,520 per capita; annual growth 8.2% (1980)

Monetary conversion rate

2.25 ringgits=US$1 (December 1981)

Peninsular Malaysia

natural rubber, oil palm, rice; 10%-15% of rice requirements imported

rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber

1,899,973 kW capacity (1980); 8.157 billion kWh produced (1980), 725 kWh per capita

Sabah

mainly subsistence; main crops—rubber, timber, coconut, rice; food deficit—rice

logging, petroleum production

183,000 kW capacity (1980); 586 million kWh produced (1980), 558 kWh per capita

Sarawak

main crops—rubber, timber, pepper; food deficit—rice

agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging

147,000 kW capacity (1980); 343 million kWh produced (1980), 269 kWh per capita

Civil air

approximately 30 major transport aircraft

East Malaysia

136 km meter gauge (LOO m) in Sabah

about 5,426 km total (1,644 km in Sarawak, 3,782 km in Sabah); 819 km hard surfaced (mostly bituminous surface treatment), 2,936 km gravel or crushed stone, 1,671 km earth

4,200 km (1,569 km in Sabah, 2,518 km in Sarawak)

3 major, 12 minor (2 major, 3 minor in Sabah; 1 major, 9 minor in Sarawak)

Peninsular Malaysia

1,665 km 1.04-meter gauge; 13 km double track; government owned

19,753 km total; 15,900 km hard surfaced (mostly bituminous surface treatment), 3,000 km crushed stone/gravel, 883 km improved or unimproved earth

3,209 km

3 major, 14 minor

61 total, 61 usable; 17 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

good intercity service provided mainly by microwave relay; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 305,000 telephones (2.9 per 100 popl.); 26 AM, 1 FM, and 16 TV stations; submarine cables extend to Singapore; connected to SEACOM submarine cable terminal at Singapore by microwave relay; 2 ground satellite stations Sabah: adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sarawak via Brunei; 36,000 telephones (2.8 per 100 popl.); 14 AM, 1 FM, 5 TV stations; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; 1 ground satellite station

Pipelines

crude oil, 69 km; refined products, 56 km

Sabah

35 total, 35 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Sarawak

47 total, 47 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sabah via Brunei; 40,000 telephones (2.5 per 100 popl.); 5 AM stations, no FM, and 6 TV stations

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1982, $2,928.3 million; about 21.1% of central government budget

Peninsular Malaysia

males 15-49, 2,993,000; 1,901,000 fit for military service; 135,000 reach military age (21) annually

Sabah

males 15-49, 278,000; 165,000 fit for military service; 13,000 reach military age (21) annually

Sarawak

males 15-49, 351,000; 209,000 fit for military service; 15,000 reach military age (21) annually External defense dependent on loose Five Power Defense Agreement (FPDA) which replaced Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement of 1957 as amended in 1963