Malaysia : Country profile

Country profile: Malaysia

Malaysia boasts one of south-east Asia’s most vibrant economies, the fruit of decades of industrial growth and political stability. Its multi-ethnic, multi-religious society encompasses a majority Muslim population in most of its states and an economically-powerful Chinese community. OVERVIEW Consisting of two regions separated by some 640 miles of the South China Sea, Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories. It is one of the region’s key tourist destinations, offering excellent beaches and brilliant scenery. Dense rainforests in the eastern states of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo, are a refuge for wildlife and tribal traditions. Malaysia made the transformation from a farm-based economy Ethnic Malays comprise some 60% of the population. Chinese constitute around 26%; Indians and indigenous peoples make up the rest. The communities coexist in relative harmony, although there is little racial interaction. Although since 1971 Malays have benefited from positive discrimination in business, education and the civil service, ethnic Chinese continue to hold economic power and are the wealthiest community. The Malays remain the dominant group in politics while the Indians are among the poorest. Malaysia’s economic prospects remain healthy, although it faces fierce competition from its neighbours, and from China and India. Free trade talks with the US are under way. The country is among the world’s biggest producers of computer disk drives, palm oil, rubber and timber. It has a state-owned car maker, Proton, and tourism has considerable room for expansion. But it also faces serious challenges – politically, in the form of sustaining stability in the face of religious differences and the ethnic wealth gap, and, environmentally, in preserving its valuable forests. Malaysia’s human rights record has come in for international criticism. Internal security laws allow suspects to be detained without charge or trial. FACTS

• Population: 25.3 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Kuala Lumpur
• Area: 329,847 sq km (127,355 sq miles)
• Major languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam
• Major religions: Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism
• Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 75 years (women)
• Monetary unit: 1 ringgit = 100 sen
• Main exports: Electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, chemicals, palm oil, wood and wood products, rubber, textiles
• GNI per capita: US $4,960 (World Bank, 2006)
• Internet domain: .my
• International dialling code: +60

LEADERS Head of state: Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail was installed as Malaysia’s 12th king during a glittering ceremony in 2002. King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin He is the traditional ruler of Malaysia’s smallest state, Perlis, a rural province in the far north bordering on Thailand. He is a former student at Sandhurst military academy in Britain and a keen supporter of Tottenham Hotspur football club. The king’s role is largely ceremonial, although he is nominal head of the armed forces and all laws and the appointment of every cabinet minister require his assent. Under Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy, the position of king is rotated every five years. Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, himself a prince, devised the system after independence in 1957 to spread power among the sultans and rajas who had ruled over fiefdoms on the Malay peninsula for hundreds of years. Prime minister: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Mr Abdullah began a new, five-year term in March 2004 after his coalition government won a landslide victory in parliamentary and regional elections. Correspondents said the victory boosted his chances of pushing through reforms, including a promise to stamp out corruption. But his critics say the pace of change has been slow. PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised reforms In 2006 his government unveiled a multi-billion-dollar plan intended to tackle rural poverty and promote growth. Its goal is to help Malaysia achieve developed nation status by 2020. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi succeeded Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in October 2003, when Asia’s longest-serving elected leader retired after 22 years in power. He is a former deputy premier who held defence, foreign affairs and education portfolios under Dr Mahathir. On taking office he faced a strong political challenge from opposition Islamic fundamentalists and inherited the task of overseeing one of the region’s most vibrant economies. In contrast to his predecessor, Mr Abdullah has been described as self-effacing. He has been called the “Mr Nice Guy” of Malaysian politics. Mr Abdullah was born in 1939 in Penang. His father was a founding member of Umno, Malaysia’s ruling party. After gaining a degree in Islamic studies he worked in the civil service before being elected to parliament in 1978. Malaysia has been ruled by a coalition, the National Front, since independence. The United Malays National Organisation (Umno) is the biggest grouping in the alliance, which includes Chinese and Indian parties. Deputy prime minister, defence minister: Najib Razak Finance minister: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Foreign minister: Syed Hamid Albar MEDIA Malaysia has some of the toughest censorship laws in the world. The authorities exert substantial control over the media and restrictions may be imposed in the name of national security. The government is keen to insulate the largely-Muslim population from what it considers harmful foreign influences on TV. News is subject to censorship, entertainment shows and music videos regularly fall foul of the censors, and scenes featuring swearing and kissing are routinely removed from TV programmes and films. The TV sector comprises commercial networks and pay-TV operations. Around a quarter of TV households subscribe to the Astro multichannel service. Two more pay-TV operators, MiTV and Fine TV, entered the market in 2005. TV3 is a leading national private, terrestrial broadcaster. State-owned Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) operates two TV networks and many of the country’s radio services. Private stations are on the air, broadcasting in Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English. Newspapers must renew their publication licences annually, and the home minister can suspend or revoke publishing permits. Some web sites, such as Laman Reformasi, close to former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, freeMalaysia and Malaysiakini, have attracted official criticism. The press New Straits Times – English-language daily The Star - English-language daily Business Times – English-language daily The Malay Mail – English-language daily Malaysiakini - English-language, online news serviceTelevision Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) – state-run, operates TV1 and TV2 networks TV3 - commercial network ntv7 – commercial network 8TV – commercial networkRadio Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) – state-run, operates some 30 radio stations across the country and external service Voice of Malaysia Time Highway Radio – private Kuala Lumpur FM station Era FM – private FM stationNews agency Bernama - state-run Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1304569.stm