MALAYSIA (Continued)
Sarawak: 50% indigenous tribes, 30% Chinese, 19% Malay, 1% other
Religion:
Peninsular Malaysia: Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu
Sabah: 38% Muslim, 17% Christian, 45% other
Sarawak: 23% Muslim, 24% Buddhist and Confucianist, 16% Christian, 35% tribal religion, 2% other
Language:
Peninsular Malaysia: Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil
Sabah: English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese
Sarawak: English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages
Literacy:
Peninsular Malaysia: about 48%
Sabah and Sarawak: 23%
Labor force:
Malaysia: 4.95 million (1980)
Peninsular Malaysia: 4.1 million; 46.2% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 10.9% manufacturing and construction, 31.9% trade, transport, and services (1980)
Sabah: 366,000 (1980); 80% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 6% manufacturing and construction, 13% trade and transportation, 1% other
Sarawak: 455,000 (1980); 80% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 6% manufacturing and construction, 13% trade, transportation, and services, 1% other
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
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Malaysia
Type:
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
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
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
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
Capital:
Peninsular Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
Sabah: Kota Kinabalu
Sarawak: Kuching
Political subdivisions: 13 states (including Sabah and Sarawak)
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
National holiday: 31 August
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
Peninsular Malaysia: 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
Government leader: Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad
Suffrage: universal over age 20
Elections: minimum of every five years, last elections July 1978
Political parties and leaders:
Peninsular Malaysia: 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)
Sabah: Berjaya Party, Datuk Harris Salleh; United Sabah National Organization (USNO), Tun Datuk Mustapha; Sabah Chinese Consolidated Party (SCCP)
Sarawak: 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
Voting strength:
Peninsular Malaysia: (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
Sabah: (March 1981 Assembly Elections) Berjaya Party controls 43 of 48 seats in State Assembly, USNO 3 seats, SCCP 1 seat, 1 seat vacant
