Many government systems are similar around the world. If you are interested in politics, laws, and governments, do not take the law into your own hands, especially in Malaysia! Here are some essential pointers to knowing more about the Malaysian Government while you get to learn some vocabulary on the go.
Government Of Malaysia
The Malaysian Government adapts three types of Government systems: a constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, and federalism, federation, or Federal Government. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Constitutional Monarchy
The title has two words – constitution and Monarchy. Constitution means the written systems of the rules and laws of the nation. A monarch is a King. Something unique about Malaysia is that it has Nine Kings. No other country in the world has more than one King at a time – Malaysia does!
The Government of Malaysia rotates between these Kings every five years, with one King acting in power each time.
Note that the Malaysian Government does not follow an absolute Monarchy, such as in Brunei or Saudi Arabia. There, the King controls the decisions and laws by which the country and its people are ruled.
Instead, Malaysian Kings are also under the laws and act according to the Malaysian constitution. The Malaysian Government follows the federal constitutional Monarchy as the supreme law holding the ultimate power. So interesting!
Parliamentary Democracy
Two words found here are democracy and Parliament. Democracy is the type of Government that follows elections or voting of the people. It gives the people of Malaysia a chance to choose and vote for their own leaders. The people have power.
The representatives voted by the people because of democracy can sit in the Parliament. They are called members of Parliament elected by the people. The Parliament makes laws, and the Members of Parliament (MPs) with Senators form a cabinet.
Components Of The Parliament
There is the “Yang di Pertuan Agong” or the “Monarch,” and under him are the “Senate” and the “House of representatives.”
“Yang di Pertuan Agong” means “He who is made Supreme Lord” or Monarch – that’s the King! A senate is also known as “Dewan Negara,” and the House of representatives is known as “Dewan Rakyat” in Malaysia.
Here are the words in the Malay language again:
Yang di Pertuan Agong – He Who Is Made Supreme Lord/Monarch/King
Dewan Nejara – Senate
Dewan Rakyat – House of Representatives
The Senate decides on laws known as the federal list, and the House of Representatives deals with the state list or rules related to the state. The State Council is the upper House of the Government of Malaysia. There are 70 senators in total in Malaysia.
The House of representatives is also called the People’s Assembly in Malaysia, and it is the lower House.
The Federal Government
The constitution of Malaysia divides the power in the federation between the Federal Government and state government, and the constitution clearly defines the responsibilities of these two bodies. For example, the federal Government takes care of the country’s internal security, economy, and foreign affairs, among many other responsibilities.
Responsibilities of the state government include control of the Islamic law and cultural development of Malaysia. The duties of the federal and state governments are separate, and they do not mix it up unless for some issues like education and scholarships, etc.
Malaysia is a country made up of 11 states Peninsular Malaysia, Sabar, and Sarawak. The Federal Government of Malaysia is divided into three branches, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.
Words About The Malaysian Government
Here are some additional words in Malay you should know when discussing it’s government:
- constitution – perlembagaan
- government – kerajaan
- rules – peraturan
- laws – undang-undang
- capital city – ibu negeri
- news – berita
- opposition party – parti pembangkang
- country – negara
- foreign affairs – hal Ehwal Luar Negeri
- conference – persidangan
United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
The United Malays National Organization is popularly known as Pekembar in Malay. It is the oldest political party in Malaysia and was made before World War II. Every Prime minister of Malaysia also heads the UMNO as its President. The UMNO was once known as “the Grand Old Party” because of the years that it has existed.
The Kings Of Malaysia
As mentioned, there are nine kings of Malaysia, which is unique to only this country. They are hereditary rulers, meaning royal families, and their rightful heir can only be King. The families are all Muslim.
Every five years, a conference of rulers gathers and elects the Head of State of Malaysia. That is the federal constitutional Monarch or the Yang di-Pertuan Agog.
Islamic Law Of Malaysia
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei are three countries in Southeast Asia that practice Islamic Law. In Malaysia, the political party involved in Islamic laws is the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party, and it is active in Peninsular Malaysia’s rural and conservative North and East Malaysia areas.
The party first had some political movements after World War II. In 1955, for the first time, one candidate of this party was elected representing the opposition parties. The Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian congress were also in that election.
They did not win the election that time, but they did have more representatives from then on.
Government Information System
To access the Malaysian Government and its services, you can go to the “MyGOV” website, which has heaps of information. You will be able to get advice, online and digital services, registration for official documents, and also information about the country’s policies as a tourist.
Learn Malay With Ling
The political process of Malaysia is very detailed and intriguing. Based on its federal constitution, local Government, and common law, the country and its national front have much more to understand. Even watching the ceremonial role of when the Yang di Pertuan Agong comes into power is so interesting.
There is a lot to learn from the example of the Malaysian Government on how dynamic its governing system is. To know more, it would be wise to learn the Malay language. Malay is a beautiful Austronesian language with Latin script, making learning to read and write very easy for English-speaking learners.
To support and make your experience worthwhile, here is some information on Ling, the language learning app. It has many free lessons that focus on learning Malay words, definitions, using the words in a sentence, correct pronunciation, and even knowledge about the culture and common daily terms.
This gamified app makes learning languages very simple and doable. It can be at your pace and has proven results worldwide with its users. Try the Ling App today and start learning Malay!
