In Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertua Negeri is a constitutional title given to the head of state in states without a ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak. This is in contrast to a Ruler which is a constitutional title given to states with hereditary monarchies, namely: the Sultans of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor and Terengganu; the Raja of Perlis: and the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan.
The prime ministerof Malaysia is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister as a member of Parliament (MP) who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party winning the most seats in a general election.
The Federal Constitution of Malaysia, which came into force in 1957 as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya and was amended in 1963 to form the Constitution of Malaysia, is the supreme law of Malaysia and contains a total of 183 articles. It is a written legal document influenced by two previous documents, the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 and the Independence Constitution of 1957. The Federation was initially called the Federation of Malaya and it adopted its present name, Malaysia, when the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore became part of the Federation. The Constitution establishes the Federation as a constitutional monarchy, having the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the Head of State with largely ceremonial roles. It provides for the establishment and organisation of three main branches of the government: the bicameral legislative branch called the Parliament, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate ; the executive branch led by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers and the judicial branch headed by the Federal Court.
In Malaysia, the Menteri Besar, colloquially referred to as MB, is the head of government of each of nine states in Malaysia with monarchs. For four states without a monarch, the title Chief Minister, is used except for Sarawak where it uses Premier (Premier). The title "Menteri Besar" is usually untranslated in the English media in Malaysia, but is typically translated as 'Chief Minister' by foreign media. According to protocol, all Menteris Besar, Chief Ministers and Premier are styled Yang Amat Berhormat, which means "The Most Honourable".
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak in English is Governor of Sarawak, is the ceremonial head of state of Sarawak. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri is styled Tuan Yang Terutama. The official residence of the governor is The Astana, located on the north bank of the Sarawak River in Kuching.
The Election Commission of Malaysia, abbreviated SPR or EC, is a commission set up for ensuring fair and equitable operations in undertaking the elections in Malaysia. The agency falls under the purview of the Prime Minister's Department.
The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia, is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a federation comprising the 11 States of Malaya, the Borneo States of Sabah and Sarawak, and 3 Federal Territories operating within a constitutional monarchy under the Westminster system and is categorised as a representative democracy. The federal government of Malaysia adheres to and is created by the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of the land.
The chief minister of Sabah is the head of government of Sabah, Malaysia. Since September 2020, the position has been held by Hajiji Noor from the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah from the coalition of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) which had won the 2020 Sabah state election. As in other parts of the Malaysian federation, the Westminster Parliamentary system is adopted, whereby, the leader of the party with the most seats in the state legislature would usually become the chief minister of Sabah. In other words, it is the person commanding the support of the state legislature. The chief minister is appointed by the head of state known as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri. In comparison to other states in Malaysia, the office of the chief minister of Sabah has been held by a more diverse group of people in terms of ethnicity and religion. The post has been held by Kadazan-Dusuns, Bajaus, Malays, Chinese, Muruts, Rungus, Sungai, Idaans, and other persons of mixed heritage as well as being Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Chief Minister of Sarawak from 1963 to 1966.
Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former senior police officer who has served as the 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak since January 2024. He previously served as the 19th President of the Dewan Negara and Senator from June 2023 to his resignation in January 2024.
The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after the traditions of the Westminster parliamentary system, which originates from the practices of the British Parliament. The executive branch of government is drawn from the elected members of the Assembly. The State Legislative Assembly sits at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building located in Petra Jaya in Kuching, the state capital.
The 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis took place in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia from 1965 to 1966. This crisis was started by a group of politicians who were dissatisfied towards Stephen Kalong Ningkan's leadership as chief minister. Ningkan was later removed from the chief minister post by the Governor of Sarawak in June 1966. However, Ningkan was reinstated by the High Court in early September 1966. He was ousted from the chief minister office for the final time at the end of September 1966 and was replaced by Tawi Sli as the new chief minister. It was widely believed that the ouster of Ningkan was a result of interference by the Malaysian federal government due to him being a strong advocate of greater state autonomy.
The state governments in Malaysia are the governments ruling the 13 states in the federation of Malaysia. All 13 states adopts the Westminster Parliamentary system and each has a unicameral state legislative assembly. Each of the States of Malaya is run by an EXCO, while Sabah and Sarawak have their respective Cabinet and Ministry. The state government structure in all 13 states is similar to the government system of the federal government of Malaysia and that the state legislatures consist of only a single chamber.
The Governor of Sabah is the ceremonial head of state of the Malaysian state of Sabah. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri is styled Tuan Yang Terutama. The current officeholder is Juhar Mahiruddin, who was sworn in on 1 January 2011.
The cabinet of Sarawak serves as the primary decision-making body within the executive branch of the Government of Sarawak. Its composition mirrors that of the federal level, albeit on a smaller scale. At its core is the Premier, appointed by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) based on their ability to secure majority support in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet comprises ministers drawn from the legislative body, appointed by the Premier's recommendation.
The Sarawak Government is an authority governing Sarawak, one of the Borneo states of Malaysia, and is based in Kuching, the state capital. The state government adheres to and is created by both the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of Malaysia, and the Constitution of the State of Sarawak, the supreme law of the State.
Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Abang Haji Openg, popularly known as Abang Jo or Abang Johari, is a Malaysian politician who is currently serving as the head of government of Sarawak since 2017. He has been Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Gedong since 2021, having previously being the MLA for Satok from 1981 to 2021. He is the son of the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak, Abang Openg Abang Sapiee.
Datuk Liwan Lagang is a Malaysian politician from the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a component party of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition who has served as the State Deputy Minister of Telecommunication of Sarawak in charge of Telecommunication in the GPS state administration under Premier Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg and State Minister Julaihi Narawi since January 2022 and Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Belaga since May 2006.
Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg formed the second Abang Johari cabinet after being invited by Abdul Taib Mahmud to begin a new government following the victory in the 18 December 2021 general election in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. In order to be the Premier, Abang Johari was immediately sworn in before the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak on the same day that night. Prior to the election, Abang Johari led the first Abang Johari cabinet, a coalition government that consisted of members of the component parties of Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Constitution of the State of Sarawak was incorporated in 1963 in the state of Sarawak following the formation of federation of Malaysia. It consists of six Chapters, 58 Articles, and one Schedule.
