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Malaysia has thirteen states
and three Federal Territories, of which Kuala Lumpur is the
present administrative centre. Of the thirteen states, nine
are headed by their Royal Highnesses, the Sultans, while the
former Straits Settlements - Penang and Melaka (Singapore
has become an independent country) - and the Borneo states
of Sabah and Sarawak are under the care of the Governor. The
Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, in Sabah,
each have a Datuk Bandar, or Mayor. The newly completed
Putrajaya is also a Federal Territory and it is due to
become the new administrative centre of Malaysia once the
transition is completed.
Putrajaya is 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur and only 20 km away
from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). A
futuristic city no one would have thought possible in this
day and age in Malaysia, it embodies the culture and
traditions of Malaysia. Other than the government office
complexes, homes for the people and a lavish mosque, this
self-sufficient township comes complete with its very own
wetlands and nature highlights.
The head of the Malaysian nation is the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong, and this position is shared on a rotation basis by
the Sultans of the nine royal states. Elected by his fellow
Sultans, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong holds the position for
five years before passing the "reigns" to another Sultan.
The first Yang di-Pertuan Agong was elected on the basis of
seniority. As a parliamentary democracy, the Malaysian
government is headed by the Prime Minister and his deputy; a
host of other Ministers and their ministries all work
together to implement the government's policies that are so
crucial to the growth and development of Malaysia. The Prime
Minister is the leader of the political party that has won a
two-thirds majority in the general elections held once every
five years, at the most. The Prime Minister names his
Cabinet and confers with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong about the
appointment of the Ministers.
Malaysia has seen tremendous growth and progress in the last
25 years. Education and healthcare, as well as social
security, are issues of great importance to the government.
Schools and hospitals are heavily subsidized by the
government as part of its national plan to benefit the
masses. Being duly concerned about the well-being of the
nation's people, the Malaysian government is non-negotiable
in enforcing its anti-drug trafficking laws; its harshest
penalties are death by hanging and life imprisonment. This
sentence has been meted out to both locals and foreigners
alike. This is one area the government rarely compromises
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