Malaysia Passport

【 Country Name 】 Malaysia

【 Area 】 Approximately 330000 square kilometers.

Population: 33.7 million (2023). Among them, 70.1% are Malay, 22.6% are Chinese, 6.6% are Indian, and 0.7% are of other races. Malay is the national language, commonly used in English, and Mandarin is widely used. Islam is the state religion, while other religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity.

【 Capital 】 Kuala Lumpur, with a population of approximately 2.04 million.

The Supreme Head of State, Sultan Ibrahim ibn Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, took office as the 17th Supreme Head of State on January 31, 2024.

There are about hundreds of major and minor holidays across the country, and there are 10 national holidays designated by the government, namely: National Day (also known as Independence Day, August 31st), New Year's Day, Eid al Fitr, Spring Festival, Haji Festival, Slaughter of Demons, May Day, Christmas, Vesak Day, and the birthday of the current highest emperor. Except for a few fixed holiday dates, the specific dates of other holidays are announced by the government in the previous year.

【 Overview 】 Located in Southeast Asia, the country is divided into two parts, east and west, by the South China Sea. West Malaysia is located in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula, bordering Thailand to the north, facing Singapore across the Johor Strait to the south, facing the South China Sea to the east, and the Strait of Malacca to the west. East Malaysia is located in the northern part of Kalimantan Island, adjacent to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei. The total length of the national coastline is 4192 kilometers. It belongs to the tropical rainforest climate. The average annual temperature in inland mountainous areas is 22-28 ℃, while in coastal plains it is 25-30 ℃.

At the beginning of the Common Era, the Malay Peninsula had ancient kingdoms such as Gyatsu and Langyaxiu. In the early 15th century, the Kingdom of Malacca, centered around Malacca, unified most of the Malay Peninsula. Starting from the 16th century, it was successively occupied by Portugal, the Netherlands, and Britain. At the beginning of the 20th century, it completely became a British colony. Sarawak and Sabah on Kalimantan Island were historically part of Brunei and became British protectorates in 1888. During World War II, the Malay Peninsula, Sarawak, and Sabah were occupied by Japan. After the war, Britain resumed colonial rule. On August 31, 1957, the Federation of Malaya declared independence. On September 16, 1963, the Federation of Malaya merged with Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah to form Malaysia (Singapore withdrew on August 9, 1965).

[Politics] Implement a constitutional monarchy and federal system. Due to historical reasons, Sarawak and Sabah have significant autonomy.

The National Front (BN), a political party alliance led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), held power for a long time from 1957 to 2018. On May 9, 2018, Malaysia held its 14th general election, and Mahathir's Pakatan Harapan coalition won over half of the seats in the lower house of parliament, ending the 61 year rule of Barisan Nasional.

On February 24, 2020, Mahathir resigned from his position as Prime Minister. On March 1st, former Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Indigenous Unity Party, Muhidin, was sworn in as the 8th Prime Minister. On August 16, 2021, Muhyiddin resigned from his position as Prime Minister. On August 21st, former Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Vice Chairman Ismail Shabiri was sworn in as the 9th Prime Minister.

On November 19, 2022, Malaysia held its 15th general election, marking the first time that no political party or party alliance won a majority of seats. The "Hope Alliance" composed of the People's Justice Party, Democratic Action Party, and National Integrity Party, together with the National Front and various political parties in East Malaysia, formed a coalition government and came to power. On November 24th, Anwar Ibrahim, the chairman of the "Hope Alliance" and former deputy prime minister, was sworn in as the leader of the party with the most seats as the 10th prime minister.

The Constitution of Malaya was promulgated in 1957 and continued to be used after the establishment of Malaysia in 1963. It was renamed as the Federal Constitution of Malaysia and has been revised multiple times since then. The Constitution stipulates that the Supreme Leader is the Head of State, the Islamic Leader, and the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, elected by the Council of Rulers for a term of 5 years. The Supreme Leader has the highest powers of legislation, judiciary, and administration, as well as the power to appoint the Prime Minister and refuse to dissolve the parliament. In March 1993, the Malaysian parliament passed a constitutional amendment that abolished the legal immunity and other privileges of the sultans in each state. In May 1994, the constitution was amended to stipulate that the Supreme Leader must accept and carry out official duties based on government recommendations. In July 2019, the Malaysian Parliament passed a constitutional amendment to lower the voting and candidacy age from 21 to 18, while implementing an automatic voter registration system. In December 2021, the Malaysian Parliament passed another constitutional amendment bill to restore Sabah and Sarawak's status as "states" when they joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

The Ruler's Conference is composed of hereditary sultans from 9 states including Johor, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis, as well as state heads of state from 4 states including Malacca, Penang, Sarawak, and Sabah. Its function is to elect the Supreme Leader and Deputy Supreme Leader in rotation among the nine hereditary sultans; Deliberate and promulgate national laws and regulations; Has the final decision-making power over national Islamic issues; Deliberation involves major issues such as the privileged status of the Malay ethnic group and the indigenous peoples of Sabah and Sarawak. Without the consent of the meeting, no laws regarding the privileged status of rulers shall be passed. The Prime Minister and the State Ministers (for states with Sudan), as well as the Chief Minister (for states without Sudan), assist in convening the meeting.

The parliament is the highest legislative body, consisting of an upper house and a lower house. The House of Commons has a total of 222 seats, with a term of 5 years and the ability to be re elected. The current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Zahari Abdul, will take office in December 2022. The House of Lords has a total of 70 seats, with 2 elected by each of the 13 state legislatures nationwide, and the remaining 44 appointed by the Supreme Leader based on Cabinet recommendations. The term of office is 3 years, and they can be re elected for two consecutive terms. The current Speaker of the House, Awang Bimi, will take office in July 2024.

The cabinet list of the government is as follows: Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development Ahmad Zahid, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Public Utilities Fadillah Yusof, Minister of Transport Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu, Minister of Economy Rafizi, Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan, and Minister of Defense Mohamed Noddin. Khaled Nordin, Minister of Engineering Alexander, Minister of Interior Saifuddin Nasution, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul, Minister of Higher Education Zambry, Minister of Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang, Minister of Women, Family and Social Development Nancy, Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Armizan, Minister of Legal and Institutional Reform Azalina, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi, Minister of Enterprise and Cooperative Development Ewon, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Tiong King Sing, Minister of Communications Fahmi, Digital Minister Gobind Singh, Minister of Education Fadhlina, Minister of National Solidarity Aaron Ago, Minister of Religious Affairs Na'im of the Prime Minister's Office, Yeoh Tseow Suan, Minister of Youth and Sports, Zaliha, Minister of Federal Territories of the Prime Minister's Office, Sim Chee Keong, Minister of Human Resources, Dzulkefly, Minister of Health, and Johari, Minister of Plantations and Former Industries.

The country is divided into 13 states and 3 federal territories. The 13 states are Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, Terengganu in West Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. There are also three federal territories, namely the capital Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya (Putrajaya), and Labuan.

The Supreme Court was established on January 1, 1985. In June 1994, it was renamed as the Federal Court. There are the Malayan High Court (responsible for West Malaysia) and the Borneo High Court (responsible for East Malaysia), and each state has its own local courts and courts of appeal. In addition, there are special military courts and Islamic courts. Dato 'Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat, Chief Justice of the Federal Court, took office in May 2019 and is Malaysia's first female Chief Justice. Attorney General Trerudin will assume office in September 2023.

There are over 40 registered political parties. The National Front, composed of political parties such as UMNO, MCA, and Indian National Congress, has long been in power. After the 2018 general election, the Hope Alliance, composed of the People's Justice Party, Democratic Action Party, National Integrity Party, and Indigenous Unity Party, replaced the National Front in power. In March 2020, the National Alliance formed by the Indigenous Unity Party, the Islamic Party, and others joined forces with UMNO to replace the Pakatan Harapan coalition in power. After the November 2022 general election, the Hope Alliance, composed of the People's Justice Party, Democratic Action Party, and National Integrity Party, along with the National Front and major political parties in East Malaysia, formed a coalition government and came to power.

Main ruling parties:

(1) People's Justice Party/Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR): Established on April 4, 1999, formerly known as the Islamic Social Union registered in 1990. Intended to unite various political parties and non-governmental organizations, resist the government, and strive for justice. Approximately 500000 party members. The current chairman is Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

(2) The Democratic Action Party (DAP): a multi-ethnic political party primarily composed of Chinese people. Established in March 1966, its predecessor was the branch of the People's Action Party of Singapore in the Malay Peninsula. Approximately 450000 party members. The current chairman is Lin Guanying, and the secretary general is Lu Zhaofu.

(3) The National Integrity Party (Parti Amanah Negara, abbreviated as AMANAH): composed of the Islamic Party's Enlightened Faction, was established on September 16, 2015. Approximately 150000 party members. The current chairman is Mohammad Shabu.

(4) The United Malays National Organization, abbreviated as UMNO, UMNO）： Malay political parties. Established on May 11, 1946. In April 1987, due to party disputes, it split and was convicted by the court as an illegal organization. In February 1988, Mahathir reorganized "The New United Malays National Organization" based on the original UMNO. In 1996, the "46" spiritual party, which split from UMNO, returned to the new UMNO and was once again called "UMNO". There are currently approximately 3.5 million party members. Current Chairman Zahid and Acting Chairman Mohammad Hassan.

(5) The Malaysian Chinese Association, abbreviated as MCA, MCA）： Chinese political parties. Established on February 27, 1949, originally named the Malayan Chinese Association, it was renamed to its current name after the establishment of Malaysia. There are approximately 1.1 million party members. Current President Wei Jiaxiang.

(6) The Malaysian Indian Congress, abbreviated as the "Congress Party", MIC）： Established on August 2, 1946. The Malaysian Indian and Pakistani ethnic political parties aim to fight for and safeguard the interests of both ethnic groups. There are approximately 550000 party members.

Main opposition parties:

(1) Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, abbreviated as BERSATU, is a political party mainly composed of indigenous and Malay people. Established on September 9th, 2016. There are approximately 560000 party members. The current chairman is former Prime Minister Muhyiddin.

(2) The Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS) is a religious political party primarily composed of Malay Muslims. Established on August 23, 1951, he joined the National Front from 1973 to 1977. In the 2022 general election, it won 45 parliamentary seats and became the largest party in the lower house of parliament. Approximately one million party members. Current Chairman Hadi Awang.

Ibrahim Iskandar: Supreme Leader. Born in Johor in November 1958. In 2010, he took over as the 25th Sultan of Johor, and on January 31, 2024, he became the Supreme Leader of Malaysia.

Anwar Ibrahim: Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Born in Penang state in August 1947. In 1982, he joined the Malaysian National Unity Organization (UMNO) and was elected as a Member of Parliament. He has served as Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister. In 1993, he was elected as the Acting Chairman of UMNO. In 1998, he was dismissed from his position and expelled from the party by then Prime Minister Mahathir. In 1999, he was sentenced to prison. Released in 2004. After the 2008 general election, he became the leader of the opposition party in parliament through a by election. In 2015, he was imprisoned again. In 2018, he was granted amnesty, appointed as the chairman of the People's Justice Party, and became a member of the highest council of the ruling coalition "Hope Alliance". In 2020, he was appointed as the chairman of the Hope Alliance. After the November 2022 general election, a coalition government was formed with the National Front and major political parties in East Malaysia, and the 10th Prime Minister was sworn in on November 24th.

Before the 1970s, the economy was mainly based on agriculture and relied on the export of primary products. Since the 1970s, the industrial structure has been continuously adjusted, and an export-oriented economy has been vigorously promoted. The electronics, manufacturing, construction, and service industries have developed rapidly. Simultaneously implementing the 'New Economic Policy' that prioritizes the Malay and Indigenous peoples, with the aim of eliminating poverty and restructuring society.

Since 1987, the economy has maintained a high-speed growth rate of over 8% for 10 consecutive years. In 1991, the cross century development strategy of "2020 Vision" was proposed, aiming to build Malaysia into a developed country by 2020. We attach great importance to the development of high technology and have launched projects such as the "Multimedia Super Corridor" and "Biological Valley". In 1998, the economy experienced negative growth due to the impact of the Asian financial crisis. The government has adopted policies such as stabilizing the exchange rate, restructuring bank and corporate debt, expanding domestic demand and exports, and the economy has gradually recovered and maintained moderate growth. Since the second half of 2008, due to the impact of the international financial crisis, Malaysia's domestic economic growth has slowed down and exports have declined. In response to the crisis, the Malaysian government has successively launched 7 billion ringgit and 60 billion ringgit stimulus measures to stimulate the economy. After Prime Minister Najib took office in 2009, he took multiple measures to stimulate the Malaysian economy and domestic demand growth. The Malaysian economy gradually emerged from the impact of the financial crisis and showed a clear trend of stabilization and recovery. In 2015, Ma announced the 11th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) to continue promoting economic transformation and focusing on improving people's livelihoods. In 2016, Malaysia proposed the 2050 National Transformation Plan (TN50), which outlines the outlook for Malaysia's 2020-2050 development plan. In 2019, the government proposed the "2030 Vision", which identified narrowing the wealth gap, creating a new development model, and promoting Malaysia as the economic axis of Asia as its three main goals. Since 2023, the Unity Government has proposed the "Changming Economy" framework based on the governing philosophy of "Changming Malaysia", and launched multiple measures to revitalize the economy such as the 2030 New Industrial Blueprint and the National Energy Transformation Roadmap, as well as policies in taxation, social security, financing, etc., to help small and medium-sized enterprises develop and improve people's living standards. In 2023, Malaysia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be 1.57 trillion ringgit at constant prices, a year-on-year increase of 3.7%; Per capita gross domestic product of 51475 ringgit; The total import and export volume is 2.64 trillion ringgit.

Natural resources are abundant. The production and export volume of rubber, palm oil, and pepper rank among the top in the world. Once a major tin producing country in the world, its production has been decreasing year by year in recent years. There are abundant oil reserves, as well as minerals such as iron, gold, tungsten, coal, bauxite, and manganese. Rich in tropical hardwood.

The government encourages the processing industry based on domestic raw materials, with a focus on developing electronics, automobiles, steel, petrochemicals, and textiles.

Mining mainly focuses on the extraction of tin, oil, and natural gas. According to the BP World Energy Statistical Yearbook, Malaysia's oil production in 2021 was approximately 25.9 million tons, with a daily output of approximately 573000 barrels; The natural gas production is approximately 74.2 billion cubic meters.

The cultivated land area of agriculture, forestry and fishery is about 4.85 million hectares. Agriculture is mainly based on economic crops, including oil palm, rubber, tropical fruits, etc. The self-sufficiency rate of grain is about 70%. Abundant in tropical forests. The fishing industry is mainly based on offshore fishing, and in recent years, deep-sea fishing and aquaculture have developed.

The service industry has a wide range, including water, electricity, transportation, communication, wholesale, retail, restaurants, hotels, finance, insurance, real estate, and services provided by government departments. Since the 1970s, the Malaysian government has continuously adjusted its industrial structure, and the service industry has developed rapidly, becoming one of the pillar industries of national economic development.

The tourism industry is the third largest economic pillar of the country and the second largest source of foreign exchange income. We have approximately 4072 hotels. The main tourist destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Genting, Penang, Malacca, Langkawi, Timan Island, Redang Island, Bangka Island, etc. According to statistics from the Malaysian side, there will be approximately 2014.2 million tourists visiting Malaysia in 2023.

【 Transportation 】 It has a good road network, with major highways and railways running through the north and south of the Malay Peninsula. The aviation industry is developed, and civil aviation is mainly operated by Malaysia Airlines and Asia Airlines. The main international airports are located in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuching. Inland transportation is underdeveloped, and over 80% of sea transportation relies on foreign shipping. In recent years, Malaysia has vigorously developed ocean transportation and port construction. The main shipping company is Malaysia International Shipping Company, with major ports including Klang, Penang, Kuantan, Johor Bahru, Kuching, and Labuan.

The main trading partners in foreign trade are China, Singapore, the United States, etc. The recent foreign trade situation is as follows (in billions of ringgit):