Malaysia << muh LAY zhuh or may LAY zhuh >> is a country in Southeast Asia that is divided into two parts. One part, known as Peninsular Malaysia, consists of 11 states on the Malay Peninsula and the federally administered cities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. The other part consists of two states called Sarawak and Sabah along the northern and northwestern coasts of the island of Borneo and the small island territory of Labuan off the coast of Sabah. The two parts of Malaysia lie about 400 miles (640 kilometers) apart, linked by the South China Sea.
Malaysia lies close to the equator and has a tropical climate that is hot and humid. Thick rain forests cover parts of both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
Malaysia is rich in natural resources. It has long ranked as a leading producer of rubber and tin, and of a vegetable oil called palm oil. The country also mines natural gas and petroleum. In the late 1900’s, Malaysia also became a major manufacturing nation and a successful exporter of electronic products.
Malays, Chinese, and Indians form the largest ethnic groups in Malaysia. More than 80 percent of the people live in Peninsular Malaysia. Most of the nation’s urban areas are also there, including Kuala Lumpur << KWAH luh loom POOR >>, Malaysia’s largest city. 
Europeans arrived in what is now Malaysia during the 1500’s. In 1511, the Portuguese seized the commercial kingdom of Melaka from the Malays but were unsuccessful in conquering other areas on the Malay Peninsula. The Dutch defeated the Portuguese in 1641 and took over Melaka. In the late 1700’s, the British arrived. They signed a treaty with the Dutch in 1824 that gave them control over the Malay Peninsula. Nevertheless, total British control was not established until the early 1900’s. Peninsular Malaysia became an independent nation called Malaya in 1957. Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah, and the island of Singapore united to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, but Singapore withdrew two years later and became independent.
Government
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. The country is divided into 13 states and 3 federal territories. The federal government administers the federal territories. The territories are Kuala Lumpur, the national capital; Putrajaya, the national administrative center; and the island of Labuan. Hereditary rulers, most of whom are called sultans, rule 9 of Malaysia’s 13 states. From among themselves, the nine rulers choose a king called the yang di-pertuan agong, which means paramount ruler. The king is the head of state. He serves a five-year term, performing mainly ceremonial duties, before the kingship rotates to another of the nine hereditary rulers.
National government.
A prime minister and a parliament run the federal government. Parliament has two houses, an assembly called the Dewan Rakyat and a senate called the Dewan Negara. The Dewan Rakyat has more lawmaking power than the Dewan Negara. The Dewan Rakyat has 222 members, mostly from Peninsular Malaysia. The people elect these members for five-year terms, unless an election is called earlier. Normally, the leader of the political party with the most seats becomes prime minister. The prime minister then chooses a cabinet. The Dewan Negara has 70 members, all of whom serve three-year terms. The 13 state legislatures elect 2 members apiece. The king appoints the other 44 members with the advice of the prime minister. Members are appointed on the basis of distinguished public service or to represent ethnic minorities. Two of the appointed members represent Kuala Lumpur, one represents Labuan, and one represents Putrajaya.
Local government.
Nine of Malaysia’s 13 states were formerly kingdoms and continue to be governed by their traditional rulers. The other four states have governors appointed by the federal government. Each of the 13 states has its own constitution, legislature, and local officials.
Political parties.
The major political parties in Malaysia belong to the alliance known as the National Front (BN, for Barison Nasional), the alliance known as the National Alliance (PN, for Perikatan Nasional), or the alliance known as the Coalition of Hope (PH, for Pakatan Harapan). The BN has traditionally been the strongest political organization in Malaysia. The largest party in the BN is the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
Courts.
The Federal Court, formerly called the Supreme Court, is the highest judicial body in Malaysia. It has 10 members, who are appointed by the king on the advice of the prime minister. Below it is a Court of Appeal, and at the next level are two high courts, one for Peninsular Malaysia, the other for Sabah and Sarawak. Lower courts include local and juvenile courts. Special religious courts issue rulings on Islamic law, called Sharī`a (also spelled Sharī`ah). Jury trials were abolished in 1995.
Armed forces
of Malaysia has three branches: the Malaysian Army, the Royal Malaysian Navy, and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. All service is voluntary.
People
Malaysia’s population is racially and ethnically diverse. Three groups of people have lived on the Malay Peninsula since prehistoric times: (1) a forest-dwelling people called the Orang Asli, who were mainly hunters and gatherers; (2) a coastal people called the Orang Laut, who earned a living by fishing and seafaring; and (3) the Malays, who primarily farmed and fished. Today, the Malays make up more than half the country’s population.
Two other large ethnic groups came to what is now Malaysia during colonial times, in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. These two groups were the Chinese, who came to work in tin mining or retail trade, and Indians, who came to work on rubber plantations. When Sabah and Sarawak became part of Malaysia in 1963, the peoples of Borneo added still other ethnic groups to this multiracial land. Sabah’s largest ethnic group is the Kadazans. In Sarawak, the largest group is the Ibans, also called the Sea Dayaks. Still another wave of immigration began in the 1970’s because of an economic boom. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, mainly from Indonesia, poured into Malaysia to fill manufacturing jobs. 
Today, the Malays dominate Malaysia’s government and armed forces. However, the Chinese control much of the economy. Since 1971, government policies have sought to increase economic and educational opportunities for Malays. These policies require that Malays be given preference in hiring, university admissions, and business ownership.
Malaysians use several different languages. The Malay language is called Bahasa Malaysia, which means language of Malaysia. It is the country’s official language. Many Malaysians also speak English. Many Malaysians of Chinese descent speak southern Chinese dialects, though a large number also know some Mandarin Chinese. Many Indian Malaysians use a southern Indian language called Tamil. Many smaller ethnic groups, such as the Kadazans, speak their own language but can also communicate in Bahasa Malaysia.
Way of life
Rural life.
Most people in the rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia are Malays who farm or fish. Rural Malays live in villages called kampongs, also spelled kampungs. Their houses are built on stilts with wooden or bamboo walls and floors, and thatched palm roofs. Such raised construction prevents flooding in the rainy season and allows air to circulate more freely to cool the interior. Well-to-do families may have tin or tile roofs.
Most rural families grow rice as their staple food. They supplement the rice by raising fresh vegetables and by fishing in flooded rice fields or nearby streams. Most farm families also raise a few rubber trees and sell the rubber to add to the family income. The Malays along the coast earn their living primarily by fishing.
In Sabah and in Sarawak, many people live in isolated villages. Several families often live together under one roof in a large dwelling called a long house. They have vegetable gardens, and they also hunt, fish, and gather edible plants in the nearby jungles.
Most rural villages have one or more small shops run by Chinese merchants, who sell many articles that the people cannot make for themselves. In Sarawak and Sabah, Chinese peddlers travel upriver by boat to isolated settlements to exchange goods for forest products.
City life.
Malaysia is rapidly becoming an urbanized society. More than half the population lives in urban areas. A lack of jobs in the countryside and an economic boom in the cities have contributed to urban growth.
Kuala Lumpur is a bustling, modern city with lofty skyscrapers, including the Petronas Towers, which are among the world’s tallest buildings. The government created the city of Putrajaya to serve as the country’s administrative capital. 
Wealthy Malaysians live in large, comfortable homes with yards and servants. Most urban dwellers, however, live in modest apartments or town houses like those in American and European cities. Many rural Malays who have recently moved to the city live in shacks and other makeshift shelters in temporary squatter settlements.
Clothing.
In everyday life, most Malaysians wear clothing similar to that worn in North America and Europe. Nearly all Malays are Muslims, and many of them choose modest styles favored by Islam. For example, many Malay women wear a loose, long-sleeved blouse, a long skirt extending to their ankles, and a shawl or kerchief over their heads. Many Malay men wear a black hat called a songkok. For ceremonies and other formal gatherings, both men and women may don traditional Malay dress, which includes a tunic or blouse and a length of batik cloth worn as a skirt. Batik is a traditional process of dyeing cloth in elaborate patterns.
Chinese, Indians, and other groups in Malaysia also wear their traditional dress for special occasions. Many Indian women wear saris, and some Chinese women wear a long, tight-fitting dress called a cheongsam.
Food and drink.
Rice is the mainstay of the Malaysian diet, supplemented by vegetables, fish, and meat, mainly lamb, mutton, or chicken. Fruit or cake is often served for dessert. Tea and coffee are popular beverages. Two principal ingredients in many Malay dishes are coconut milk and hot chilies. Malaysians also eat many Chinese and Indian dishes, some combined with Malay ingredients to create tasty combinations. Malaysian cities also have fast-food restaurants that serve hamburgers, pizza, and other kinds of American and European foods. Middle-class young people are the chief patrons of such restaurants.
Recreation.
Among the Malays, kite flying and top spinning are traditional sports practiced by skilled adults rather than children. Pencak silat, the martial art of the Malays, has become part of Malaysian national culture. Silat practitioners fight not only with their hands but also with sticks and knives. Congkak is a traditional Malay game of skill using a board with holes and pebbles or marbles. Sepak takraw is a popular game like volleyball using a rattan or plastic ball. Unlike volleyball players, however, sepak takraw players use mainly their feet. They cannot touch the ball with their hands.
Other popular sports in Malaysia are soccer and badminton. Malaysian teams have won several international badminton championships.
Religion.
Malaysia has considerable religious diversity and widespread religious toleration. Muslim mosques, Christian churches, and Hindu and Buddhist temples stand side by side in urban areas. Islam is the religion of almost all Malays, as well as some Malaysian Indians, and is also the official religion of the state. People are allowed to follow other religions but may not try to convert Muslims to their faith. Many Chinese Malaysians are Buddhist, and others are Christian or Taoist. The Kadazans of Sabah and many Ibans of Sarawak are Christian. Most Malaysian Indians practice Hinduism. Many Malaysians make it a custom to participate in the religious holidays of other faiths.
Beginning in the 1970’s, an Islamic revival called the dakwah movement rapidly gained strength. Most followers of the movement were young, educated urban Muslims. They sought to return to the fundamental beliefs of Islam. They were inspired by Islamic movements in other parts of the world, including the 1979 revolution that established an Islamic government in Iran. The dakwah movement contributed to a growing Islamization of Malaysian life. For example, many Malaysians adopted stricter Islamic standards of dress and behavior.
Education.
Primary and secondary education are free. Children start school at 6 years old. They remain in primary school for six years and then go to secondary school. Bahasa Malaysia is the language of instruction in most schools, though some schools, especially at the primary level, also teach in Mandarin Chinese or Tamil. In all schools, English and Bahasa Malaysia are compulsory subjects. Malaysia has many universities, technical institutes, and teacher training colleges. One of the most important universities is the University of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur.
The arts.
Malaysia has attempted to preserve its traditional art forms despite the immense popularity of American and European rock music, television, and motion pictures. A traditional form of Malay drama is mak yong (also spelled mak yung or ma’yong), in which the performers sing, dance, and act out heroic tales about sultans and princesses. An orchestra called a gamelan accompanies most performances. A gamelan consists chiefly of metal percussion instruments, including gongs, xylophones, and drums. Loading the player...
Malaysian folk dance
Malaysia has had an active motion-picture industry since the founding of Malay Film Productions in the 1940’s. Among its most famous stars was an actor, director, producer, singer, and composer named P. Ramlee. Ramlee appeared in films during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Land and climate
Peninsular Malaysia comprises the cities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya and 11 small states, with a total area of 51,209 square miles (132,631 square kilometers). Two much larger states—Sarawak and Sabah—lie on the island of Borneo. Sarawak covers 48,051 square miles (124,450 square kilometers). Sabah—including the small island of Labuan, which is administered separately as the Federal Territory of Labuan—covers 28,464 square miles (73,722 square kilometers). Both the Malay Peninsula and Borneo are heavily forested and mountainous. Mount Kinabalu in Sabah is the highest peak, rising to about 13,431 feet (4,094 meters).
Malaysia has a tropical climate with hot, humid weather that varies little throughout the year. Coastal temperatures range from 70 to 90 °F (21 to 32 °C), while mountain temperatures are usually 55 to 80 °F (13 to 27 °C). Rainfall varies slightly, with heavier downpours from October to April and less rain from May to September. Peninsular Malaysia gets an average of 100 inches (250 centimeters) of rain annually, while Sarawak and Sabah both receive about 150 inches (380 centimeters).
Many animals flourish in Malaysia. They include tigers, wild oxen, water buffaloes, tapirs, orangutans, many varieties of monkeys, cobras, crocodiles, lizards, over 500 kinds of birds, and a vast number of butterflies. Malaysia’s plants are equally varied, with many types of wild orchids, tropical fruits, and exotic hardwood trees.
Economy
In the late 1900’s, Malaysia had one of the world’s fastest growing economies. From 1970 to the early 2010’s, Malaysia’s gross domestic product, the total value of all goods and services produced within the country, grew at an average annual rate of more than 5 percent.
Malaysia’s economy is based on rich natural resources and diversified economic activities. In the mid-1900’s, Malaysia was primarily an exporter of raw commodities, such as timber, rubber, tin, and palm oil. It still produces those basic goods, but they play a much smaller economic role. The country now derives much of its wealth from manufacturing.
Manufacturing
employs about one-sixth of Malaysia’s labor force and produces about one-fourth of the gross domestic product. Nearly all manufacturing takes place in the western half of Peninsular Malaysia, chiefly in the Kelang Valley and on the island of Penang.
The Malaysian electronics industry has been a major success. Malaysia is a leading producer of integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices. Malaysia also produces automobiles, chemicals, clothing and textiles, food and beverages, and steel.
Agriculture.
Malaysia is one of the world’s leading producers of palm oil, a vegetable oil made from palm tree nuts. Palm oil is used for cooking and in the production of margarine and soap. Malaysia is also the third-largest producer of natural rubber, exceeded only by Thailand and Indonesia. Nearly all of the country’s palm oil and rubber are raised on large plantations for export.
Farmers grow rice, Malaysia’s chief food crop, on small farms throughout the country. Malaysian farmers also grow many varieties of tropical fruit, including bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Two local favorites are the spiky, strong-smelling durian and the juicy, reddish-purple mangosteen. Small farms also produce cacao (seeds used in making chocolate), coconuts, and vegetables. Some farmers raise cattle, chickens, ducks, or hogs. Sarawak is one of the world’s largest producers of black pepper. 
Forestry.
Malaysia’s tropical rain forests yield many valuable products, including aromatic woods, such as camphor and sandalwood, and beautiful hardwoods, such as ebony, mahogany, and teak.
Mining.
Malaysia is rich in mineral resources. The Malay Peninsula has large reserves of alluvial tin, easily mined tin deposits left by flowing water. The country’s other minerals include bauxite (aluminum ore), coal, gold, and iron ore.
Fishing industry.
Malaysian fishing crews take anchovies, mackerel, scad, and squid from Malaysia’s coastal waters. Aquaculture, the commercial raising of animals and plants that live in water, is a growing industry in Malaysia.
Service industries,
which provide services rather than produce goods, have become increasingly important to Malaysia’s economy. Service industries account for about half of Malaysia’s total GDP. They employ over half the labor force. The country’s main service industries include government, transportation, and retail sales. Most retail stores in Malaysia are small general stores run by Chinese or Indian Malaysians. Larger retail outlets, including supermarkets and department stores, operate chiefly in urban centers. Urban areas also have the bulk of the country’s other service industries, such as finance and real estate.
Malaysia has a rapidly growing tourist industry that draws millions of visitors a year. Hotels, restaurants, and shops benefit from tourism. About half of Malaysia’s tourists come from Singapore. Tourists also come from Brunei, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and other countries.
Energy sources.
Malaysia is well supplied with energy. Plants that burn oil, gas, or coal supply most of Malaysia’s electric power. Hydroelectric plants generate most of the rest. Large amounts of oil and natural gas come from offshore wells near the coasts of Terengganu and Sarawak. The heavy rainfall and rugged terrain of Peninsular Malaysia and the Borneo states furnish ample amounts of the falling water needed for hydroelectric power.
International trade.
Malaysia exports more than it imports. Malaysia’s exports have changed greatly since the 1970’s, when rubber and tin dominated. Today, manufactured goods account for more than half of the country’s export earnings. Electrical and electronic products, particularly integrated circuits, make up the largest category of manufactured exports. Other major exports include palm oil, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, rubber and rubber products, and wood products. Malaysia’s main imports include chemicals, electronics, food, iron and steel, machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, and transportation equipment. The country’s major trading partners are China, Japan, Singapore, and the United States.
Transportation.
Malaysia has a good transportation network, but rapid economic growth has stretched it to the limit. Historically, waterways were Malaysia’s primary means of transportation. Even today, water travel remains important because the country’s mountainous terrain and thick forests hinder movement by land. Rivers form the main thoroughfare into the interior. The Strait of Malacca, on the western side of the Malay Peninsula, serves as a major shipping lane between Europe and Asia. The South China Sea links the two parts of Malaysia and is the principal thoroughfare between East Asia and Southeast Asia. Malaysia’s major seaports include George Town, Johor Bahru, Port Kelang, and Tanjung Pelepas.
Long-distance travel in Malaysia depends heavily on aviation. Kuala Lumpur International Airport at Sepang is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Kuala Lumpur. This airport opened in 1998 and helped relieve congestion at the older Subang airport. Malaysia also has international airports in Kota Kinabalu, in Kuching, on Langkawi Island, and near Penang. A government-owned airline called Malaysia Airlines is the major Malaysian air carrier. In 1994, a second national airline called AirAsia began operations.
Since Malaysia’s economic boom began in the 1970’s, the country’s roads have become severely congested. More Malaysians have bought motorcycles and automobiles, adding to traffic congestion. Most of the roads on peninsular Malaysia and in Sarawak are paved. About half the roads in Sabah are paved, and about half are gravel.
Buses provide most of Malaysia’s public transportation. Railroads, which are owned by the government, operate in Peninsular Malaysia and in Sabah.
Communications.
A government-run corporation called Radio Television Malaysia operates radio and television stations. Malaysia also has commercial and cable television stations. The private radio stations broadcast in Chinese, English, Malay, and Tamil.
Malaysia has dozens of daily newspapers. The most important papers include Berita Harian, Harian Metro, and Utusan Malaysia in Bahasa Malaysia and the New Straits Times and The Star in English. Newspapers are also published in Chinese and Tamil.
History
Early days.
Scientists have found archaeological evidence of human inhabitants in the Niah Caves in Sarawak from about 40,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of inhabitants on the Malay Peninsula that has been found is from about 10,000 years ago. Most scholars believe the earliest settlers on the Malay Peninsula came overland from southern China in small groups over a period of thousands of years. These early inhabitants became the ancestors of the Orang Asli.
During the 1000’s B.C., new groups of migrants who spoke a language related to Malay came to Malaysia. The ancestors of these people had traveled by sea from south China to Taiwan, and later from Taiwan to Borneo and the Philippines. These people became the ancestors of the Malays and the Orang Laut. The newcomers settled mainly in the coastal areas of the peninsula.
About A.D. 1400, a group of Malay-speaking migrants came to the Malay Peninsula from Srivijaya, a trading kingdom on the island of Sumatra (now part of Indonesia). Led by a Sumatran prince called Paramesvara, these newly arrived immigrants established a commercial kingdom called Melaka.
Melaka,
also spelled Malacca, became an international center for the spice trade. During the middle and late 1400’s, Melaka gained control over much of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and the key shipping route through the Strait of Malacca. It attracted traders from throughout the world.
In the mid-1400’s, Melaka became a Muslim kingdom. Islam spread throughout the Malay Peninsula and to other parts of Southeast Asia. Melaka’s prosperity drew the attention of the Europeans, who wished to gain control of the valuable spice trade.
Coming of the Europeans.
In 1511, the Portuguese seized Melaka from the Malays. The Malays soon moved their center to Johor at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula. Descendants of the ruling family of Melaka also founded other kingdoms on the peninsula.
The Dutch seized Melaka from the Portuguese in 1641 and ruled there for the next 150 years. By the 1700’s, the Dutch controlled trade in most of the region.
In 1786, the British acquired Penang Island and established a settlement called George Town there. Gradually, the United Kingdom acquired control over more of the area to protect its shipping lanes between China and India. In 1824, the Dutch surrendered to the British their possessions on the Malay Peninsula. In 1826, the British formed a colony called the Straits Settlements that included Melaka and the islands of Penang and Singapore. In 1840, James Brooke, a wealthy English adventurer, helped the sultan of Brunei quiet a local rebellion. In return, the sultan ceded the southern part of his territory, present-day Sarawak, to Brooke in 1841 and bestowed on Brooke the title rajah. Brooke and his descendants, called “white rajahs,” ruled Sarawak as a self-governing state until the 1940’s. In 1881, North Borneo (as Sabah was then called) came under the control of a private trading company called the British North Borneo Company. The British declared North Borneo and Sarawak to be British protectorates in 1888. By 1914, the United Kingdom had either direct or indirect colonial control over all the lands that now make up Malaysia, which it called British Malaya.
British rule
took several forms. For example, the United Kingdom had direct colonial rule in the Straits Settlements, family control by the Brookes in Sarawak, and corporate control in North Borneo. In the kingdoms on the Malay Peninsula, the British governed indirectly, through local rulers. The United Kingdom placed a representative called a resident in each kingdom. The local sultan agreed to accept the resident’s advice on political and economic matters.
To increase its revenues from British Malaya, the British expanded tin mining in the late 1800’s. They also introduced rubber trees from Brazil and established rubber plantations in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. To provide labor for these enterprises, the British imported Chinese workers for the tin mines and Indian laborers for the rubber plantations. To help feed the rapidly expanding work force, the British encouraged the Malays to farm for a living.
The British also encouraged ethnic divisions. For example, the British administered the two main ethnic communities in Kuala Lumpur separately through their Malay and Chinese leaders. By hardening the lines that divided the Malays, Chinese, and Indians, these policies helped keep the groups from uniting against the British.
Independence.
World War II and its aftermath brought the end of British rule. In that war, Japan, Germany, and the other Axis nations fought against the United Kingdom, the United States, and the other Allies. Japan invaded British Malaya in 1941 and occupied it until losing the war in 1945.
The United Kingdom dissolved the Straits Settlements in 1946. In 1948, the kingdoms on the Malay Peninsula, plus Melaka and the island of Penang, united to form the Federation of Malaya, a partially independent territory under British protection. Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak became separate crown colonies. In 1948, the Malayan Communist Party began a guerrilla uprising against the British that became known as the Emergency. With Malay help, the British finally subdued the Emergency in 1960, three years after independence. 
The Federation of Malaya had gained complete independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. Singapore, which had a mostly Chinese population, remained outside the federation as a British crown colony.
Building national unity.
The first prime minister of the new nation was Abdul Rahman. Earlier in the 1950’s, he and other leaders had formed a political alliance of the three main ethnic parties: the United Malays National Organization, the Malayan Chinese Association, and the Malayan Indian Congress. This three-party partnership, known as the Alliance, was the forerunner of the National Front that is Malaysia’s most powerful political organization today.
In 1963, Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak joined Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia. The Malay majority hoped that including Sabah and Sarawak, which had ethnically diverse populations, would balance the large numbers of Chinese from Singapore. Economic and political disputes soon developed between the mostly Chinese state leaders of Singapore and the mostly Malay federal government of Malaysia. In 1965, Singapore withdrew from the federation and became independent.
In Malaysia, as in the former British Malaya, the ethnic groups followed different traditional occupations. The Malays controlled government and agriculture, while the Chinese dominated commerce and industry. The Chinese resented the political power of the Malays, and the Malays envied the economic success of the Chinese. The tensions eventually triggered racial violence. In 1969, bloody riots broke out after an election on Peninsular Malaysia. The government declared a state of emergency, suspending the Constitution and Parliament until 1971.
After the riots, Malaysia’s political leaders tried to build national unity. They amended the Constitution to forbid discussion, even in Parliament, of certain “sensitive issues,” including the special position of the Malays and of Borneo’s ethnic groups, and the powers of the Malay sultans. The amendment also required all government bodies to use Bahasa Malaysia as their principal official language. Many non-Malays, however, resented the government’s attempts to build national unity through increased emphasis on Malay culture.
Also after the riots, Malaysia’s leaders determined to improve the economic conditions of the Malays. In 1971, they launched a 20-year plan called the New Economic Policy to achieve a better balance of wealth among racial groups. To minimize racial politics, the government created in 1974 a multiparty alliance called the National Front, uniting Malay, Chinese, and Islamic groups.
Recent developments.
In 1981, Mahathir bin Mohamad became prime minister of Malaysia. Malaysia’s economy grew rapidly under Mahathir during the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
By the end of the 1990’s, the New Economic Policy and its successor, the New Development Policy begun in 1991, had done much to eliminate racial tensions. Malaysia’s economy had grown at a robust rate for two decades, and rapid economic growth had brought prosperity to all racial groups in the country. Government leaders announced a new goal called “Vision 2020,” which aimed to make Malaysia a fully developed nation with a high standard of living by 2020. The goal suffered a setback, however, in the late 1990’s, when an economic crisis spread throughout Southeast Asia. The growth of Malaysia’s economy slowed somewhat, but Malaysia took measures that put its economy back on track.
In 1999, some administrative offices began moving to a new city named Putrajaya, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Kuala Lumpur. Putrajaya serves as Malaysia’s administrative capital. Malaysia’s Parliament remained in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2003, Mahathir stepped down as prime minister. His deputy prime minister, Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi, then took over as prime minister. In 2008, parliamentary elections were held. The National Front, the ruling coalition, kept control of Parliament, but the opposition gained many seats. Abdullah, as the leader of the largest political party, began his second term as prime minister after the election. However, he lost support after he failed to deliver on campaign promises to end government corruption and ease long-standing ethnic tensions. Abdullah stepped down in 2009 and was succeeded by his deputy, Najib Razak. Najib remained in power following parliamentary elections in 2013. Mahathir was again elected prime minister in 2018. At 92, he became the world’s oldest elected leader.
In March 2014, a Malaysia Airlines plane departing from Kuala Lumpur disappeared during a scheduled flight to Beijing, China. The investigation of the flight, Flight 370, and the search for the missing plane attracted global attention. Some experts believed that the plane—carrying 239 people, most of them Chinese—crashed into the Indian Ocean. Search teams used aircraft, ships, and submarines to look for signs of the missing airplane. Over the next few years, wreckage from the plane was found throughout the western Indian Ocean. Pieces were discovered on the island of Réunion, east of Madagascar; an island off the coast of the east African nation of Tanzania; and on the island nation of Mauritius. In January 2017, the governments of Australia, China, and Malaysia agreed to end the search.
In 2020, Mahathir resigned as the unity of his coalition faltered. The king then asked conservative politician Muhyiddin Yassin to become prime minister and form a government. Muhyiddin held a slim majority in parliament that opponents soon began to challenge. Also in 2020, a court convicted former prime minister Najib Razak of corruption charges related to his time in office. Najib claimed the charges had been politically motivated, but lost an appeal of the verdict in 2022.
Starting in 2020, Malaysia faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As in other nations, measures adopted to contain the virus that causes the disease produced social and economic strain. The number of cases of COVID-19 in Malaysia spiked in late 2020 and early 2021. In response, the king allowed Prime Minister Muhyiddin to declare a temporary state of emergency until August, enabling Muhyiddin’s government to enact necessary measures without the approval of parliament. The worldwide spread of a new, more contagious variant of the virus led to a rapid rise in cases in Malaysia during the spring and summer of 2021. Muhyiddin lost the support of part of his ruling coalition and was forced to resign in August. Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who had been serving as deputy prime minister, became prime minister.
None of Malaysia’s major political parties won a majority in the November 2022 parliamentary elections. The king asked the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to serve as prime minister.
