MALAYSIA AND POLITICS
Conventional Long Form Name: none
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Date of Independence: 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National Holidays: Independence Day 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia)
Chief of State: King - Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah
Head of Government: Prime Minister NAJIB Razak
Executive Branch Powers: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the king elections. Kings are elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; selection is based on the principle of rotation among rulers of states. Prime ministers are designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands the support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister (since independence this has been the leader of the UMNO party)
Legislative Branch Powers: Unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial Branch Powers: Supreme Civil and Criminal Court; all judges are appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council; Supreme Administrative Court and Court of Auditors; Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Name of Ambassador to the U.S. : Ambassador OTHMAN Bin Hashim
Location of embassy in the U.S. : 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of consulate(s) in the U.S.: Los Angeles, New York
Name of U.S. Ambassador : Ambassador Paul W. JONES
Location of U.S. embassy : 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) : US Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Name of representative to UN: Hussein Haniff
Flag Description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers note: the design is based on the flag of the US
National Symbol: Tiger
Capital: Kuala Lumpur
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Date of Independence: 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National Holidays: Independence Day 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia)
Chief of State: King - Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah
Head of Government: Prime Minister NAJIB Razak
Executive Branch Powers: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the king elections. Kings are elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; selection is based on the principle of rotation among rulers of states. Prime ministers are designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands the support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister (since independence this has been the leader of the UMNO party)
Legislative Branch Powers: Unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Judicial Branch Powers: Supreme Civil and Criminal Court; all judges are appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council; Supreme Administrative Court and Court of Auditors; Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Name of Ambassador to the U.S. : Ambassador OTHMAN Bin Hashim
Location of embassy in the U.S. : 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location(s) of consulate(s) in the U.S.: Los Angeles, New York
Name of U.S. Ambassador : Ambassador Paul W. JONES
Location of U.S. embassy : 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur
Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) : US Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Name of representative to UN: Hussein Haniff
Flag Description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers note: the design is based on the flag of the US
National Symbol: Tiger