Malaysia is a modern concept, created in the second half of the 20th century. However, contemporary Malaysia regards the entire history of Malaya and Borneo, spanning thousands of years back to prehistoric times, as its own history.
Politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. Legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the 13 state assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges to the courts.
Sabah is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalimantan province to the south. The Federal Territory of Labuan is an island just off Sabah's west coast. Sabah shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the west and the Philippines to the north and east. Kota Kinabalu is the state capital and the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sabah State government. Other major towns in Sabah include Sandakan and Tawau. The 2020 census recorded a population of 3,418,785 in the state. It has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests, abundant with animal and plant species. The state has long mountain ranges on the west side which forms part of the Crocker Range National Park. Kinabatangan River, the second longest river in Malaysia runs through Sabah. The highest point of Sabah, Mount Kinabalu is also the highest point of Malaysia.
East Malaysia, or the Borneo States, also known as Malaysian Borneo, is the part of Malaysia on and near the island of Borneo, the world's third-largest island. East Malaysia comprises the states of Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan. The small independent nation of Brunei comprises two enclaves in Sarawak. To the south and southeast is the Indonesian portion of Borneo, Kalimantan. East Malaysia lies to the east of Peninsular Malaysia, the part of the country on the Malay Peninsula. The two are separated by the South China Sea.
Mahathir bin Mohamad is a Malaysian politician, author, and doctor who served as the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held office from 1981 to 2003 and later from 2018 to February 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister. Before becoming premier, he served as Deputy Prime Minister and in other cabinet positions. He was a Member of Parliament for Langkawi from 2018 to 2022, Kubang Pasu from 1974 to 2004, and Kota Star Selatan from 1964 to 1969. His political career spanned more than 78 years, from joining protests opposing citizenship policies for non-Malays in the Malayan Union in the 1940s to forming the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition in 2022. He was granted the soubriquet Father of Modern for his pivotal role in transforming the country’s economy and infrastructure. At the age of 99, he is currently the oldest living former Malaysian prime minister.
The United Malays National Organisation or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest national political party within Malaysia, UMNO has been known as Malaysia's "Grand Old Party".
The Democratic Action Party is a centre-left social democratic political party in Malaysia. As one of four component parties of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, it formed the federal government after defeating Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 2018 Malaysian general election, ending the party's 53 year-long stay in the opposition. However, before the coalition finished its first term, defections from partnering parties caused it to lose power after 22 months, culminating in the 2020 Malaysian political crisis. At the 2022 Malaysian general election, the PH coalition which the DAP was part of was returned to power again, albeit without a majority, leading it to form a unity government with political rivals. It is one of the four component parties of the Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition in Malaysia.
The People's Justice Party, is a reformist political party in Malaysia formed on 3 August 2003 through a merger of the party's predecessor, the National Justice Party, with the socialist Malaysian People's Party. The party's predecessor was founded by Wan Azizah Wan Ismail during the height of the Reformasi movement on 4 April 1999 after the arrest of her husband, former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. At the 2022 Malaysian general election, the PH coalition which the PKR was part of was returned to power again, albeit without a majority, leading it to form a unity government with political rivals. The party is one of main partners of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ruling coalition in Malaysia.
The 13 May incident was an episode of Sino-Malay sectarian violence that took place in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on 13 May 1969. The riot occurred in the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election when opposition parties such as the Democratic Action Party and Gerakan made gains at the expense of the ruling coalition, the Alliance Party.
Malaysian Chinese, Chinese Malaysians, or Sino-Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Han Chinese ethnicity. They form the second-largest ethnic group in Malaysia, after the Malay majority, and constitute 22.4% of the Malaysian total population. Today, Malaysian Chinese form the second largest community of Overseas Chinese in the world, after the Thai Chinese. Malaysian Chinese maintain a significant and substantial presence in the business sector of the Malaysian economy.
BERJASA is a political party in Malaysia. The party is part of a Malay-Islam based coalition named "Gerakan Tanah Air".
Ketuanan Melayu is a political concept that emphasises Malay preeminence in present-day Malaysia. The Malays of Malaysia have claimed a special position and special rights owing to their longer history in the area and the fact that the present Malaysian state itself evolved from a Malay polity. The oldest political institution in Malaysia is the system of Malay rulers of the nine Malay states. The British colonial authorities transformed the system and turned it first into a system of indirect rule, then in 1948, using this culturally based institution, they incorporated the Malay monarchy into the blueprints for the independent Federation of Malaya.
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. A federal constitutional monarchy, it consists of 13 states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land borders with Brunei and Indonesia, as well as a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital, the country's largest city, and the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government. Putrajaya is the administrative centre, which represents the seat of both the executive branch and the judicial branch of the federal government. With a population of over 34 million, the country is the world's 43rd-most populous country. Malaysia is tropical and is one of 17 megadiverse countries; it is home to numerous endemic species. Tanjung Piai in the Malaysian state of Johor is the southernmost point of continental Eurasia.
The term Proto-Malay, primeval Malays, proto-Hesperonesians, first-wave Hesperonesians or primeval Hesperonesians, which translates to Melayu Asli or Melayu Purba or Melayu Tua, refers to Austronesian speakers who moved from mainland Asia, to the Malay Peninsula and Malay Archipelago in a long series of migrations between 2500 and 1500 BCE, before that of the Deutero-Malays about a thousand years later. The Proto-Malays are descendants of the first humans living in Southeast Asia, and are "ancestral" for humans in east Asia and the Americas.
Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Pandikar Amin bin Mulia is a Malaysian politician who has served as President of United Sabah National Organisation (New) since February 2021. He served as 8th Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat from April 2008 to April 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department from December 1999 to November 2002, State Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Sabah from May 1997 to March 1999, State Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Sabah from March 1994 to May 1997, Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Tempasuk from 1994 to 1999 and again from March 2004 to March 2008, Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Usukan from 1982 to 1985 as well as a former cum founding President of the People's Justice Front (AKAR) from 1989 to 1995. He is also the first Sabahan, East Malaysian and also ethnic Bajau Iranun to hold the office of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat.
Malaysian Social Justice Party or (PEKEMAS) was a political party formed by Tan Chee Khoon and Syed Hussein Alatas in 1972. On 19 July 1974, Parti Marhaen Malaysia merged with the party. The party was dissolved in 1982.
People's Justice Front or in Malay: Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat (AKAR) was a splinter party of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) formed in 1989 which was led by Dusun and Bajau ethnic-based leaders namely Mark Koding, Kalakau Untol and Pandikar Amin Mulia. In 1995, AKAR had gone through a leadership crisis between Pandikar Amin Mulia and Jeffrey Kitingan. The party's name was later changed to United People's Justice Front or in Malay: Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat Bersatu. AKAR BERSATU was dissolved to enable its members to join UMNO in 2001 and half of the member join the PGRS, a local Sabahan party founded by Ationg Tituh, one of AKAR former member of Ketua Gabungan Cawangan AKAR Kuamut.
The Sabah Chinese Party or Malay: Parti Cina Sabah (PCS) is a minor party which was formed in 1980 to represent the Chinese community in Sabah.
Democratic Malaysian Indian Party (DMIP) or Malay: Parti Demokratik India Malaysia was a splinter party of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) formed on 19 October 1985 to represent the minority India community by Datuk V. Govindaraj, an ex-Vice President of MIC. He joined MIC in 1946, selected to be Central Working Committee (CWC) member of MIC in 1978, elected as the Member of Parliament for Pelabuhan Klang in 1979, chief of Selangor MIC and central MIC Vice President in 1981 before his MIC membership was suspended in 1983 and sacked later in 1984 which push him to form and found Democratic Malaysian Indian Party (DMIP). Although the struggle of DMIP for than ten years has failed to join Barisan Nasional (BN) causing it to be disbanded by its founder and president, Datuk V. Govindaraj who went back to be with MIC and was selected again as CWC member of MIC in 1997 but was dropped at last by Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu in 2006.
The Sabah People's Party or Malay: Parti Rakyat Sabah (PRS) is a minor party which was formed in 1989 by Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA) leader James Peter Ongkili in an effort to woo Sabah voters from both BERJAYA and United Sabah Party (PBS) in the general elections.
