TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=93CT1770> <title> Malaysia--History </title> <history> Compact ALMANAC--CIA Factbook Southeast Asia Malaysia </history> <article> <source>CIA World Factbook</source> <hdr> History </hdr> <body> The early Buddhist Malay kingdom of Srivijaya, based at what is now Palembang, Sumatra, dominated much of the Malay Peninsula from the 9th to the 13th centuries A.D. The powerful Hindu kingdom of Majapahit, based on Java, gained control of the Malay Peninsula in the 14th century. Conversion of the Malays to Islam, beginning in the early 14th century, accelerated with the rise of the State of Malacca under the rule of a Muslim prince in the 15th century. Malacca was a major regional entrepot, where Chinese, Arab, Malay, and Indian merchants traded precious goods. Drawn by this rich trade, a Portugese fleet conquered Malacca in 15ll, marking the beginning of European expansion in Southeast Asia. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese from Malacca in 1641, and in 1795 were replaced by the British, who had occupied Penang in 1786. Full European control over the sultanates of the Malay Peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak was not achieved until the latter half of the 19th century. In 1826, the British settlements of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore were combined to form the Colony of the Straits Settlements. From these strongpoints, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the British established protectorates over the Malay sultanates on the peninsula. Four of these states were consolidated in 1895 as the Federated Malay States. During British control, a well-ordered system of public administration was established, public services were extended, and large-scale rubber and tin production was developed. To provide manpower for the rapidly expanding economy, the British colonial government encouraged immigration from China and India until the 1930s. Colonial rule was interrupted by the Japanese invasion and occupation from 1942 to 1945. Popular sentiment for independence swelled during and after the war, and, in 1957, the Federation of Malaya, established from the British-ruled territories of Peninsular Malaysia in 1948, negotiated independence from the United Kingdom under the leadership of Tunku Abdul Rahman, who became prime minister. The British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak (once the personal domain of James Brooke, an English adventurer), and Sabah (North Borneo) joined the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Singapore withdrew, however, on August 9, 1965, and became an independent republic. Neighboring Indonesia objected to the formation of Malaysia and pursued a program of economic, political, diplomatic, and military "confrontation" against the new country. This "confrontation" policy ended only after the fall of Indonesia's President Sukarno in 1966, soon after which cordial Malaysian-Indonesian relations were established. After World War II, local communists, almost all Chinese, expanded their influence and planned for an armed struggle. A state of emergency was declared in June 1948, and a long, bitter guerrilla war ensued. The emergency ended in 1960; however, remnants of the communists regrouped in southern Thailand, where they still cling to bases in the rugged border area. In recent years, small bands of communist guerrillas have occasionally been encountered in northern Peninsular Malaysia. A small-scale communist insurgency that began in the mid-1960s in Sarawak has almost been extinguished. Current Political Conditions The principal political force in Malaysia from the struggle for independence until 1973 was the "Alliance," a coalition of communally based parties--the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), and the Malaysian Indian Congress. Several legal opposition parties also date from this period. Communist parties were, and remain, illegal. The Alliance provided stable and effective government for the former Federation of Malaya. Its broader successor, the Barisan Nasional (National Front), which now includes 13 component parties, continues to perform the same function in Malaysia. The 1969 election showed a gain of strength by opposition parties in Peninsular Malaysia. This election was not completed in East Malaysia, however, owing to the outbreak of violent communal disorders in the Kuala Lumpur area on May 13, 1969, leading to a temporary suspension of parliamentary democracy, until July 1970. At that time, Alliance-affiliated parties won a thorough victory in both East Malaysian states. Following the suspension of parliamentary democracy in 1969, the National Operations Council (NOC) was created, composed of nine members, headed by the deputy prime minister, and given full power to restore order. Normal parliamentary government was restored in February 1971, and the passage of legislation against public or parliamentary debate on certain sensitive communal topics soon followed. In addition, the Malaysian Government adopted the 20-year "New Economic Policy (NEP)," whereby ethnic Malays and other economically disadvantaged indigenous people would receive preferred status in education, employment, and distribution of equity in Malaysia's corporate structure. Tunku Ahdul Rahman stepped down as prime minister and was replaced by Tun Abdul Razak. The presently ruling Barisan Nasional, formed in 1973, includes 13 parties, among them the chief components of the former Alliance. The Barisan Nasional was successful in all of the states in the August 1974 general elections, winning more than 70% of the popular vote and 135 of the 154 seats in the House of Representatives. Following the death of Tun Abdul Razak in January 1976, Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Onn succeeded as prime minister. Tun Hussein continued the social and economic development programs started by his predecessor. The Third Malaysia Plan, inaugurated in 1976, emphasized policies to bring about a more equitable distribution of income and reduce rural poverty. On July 16, 1981, Hussein Onn retired. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad succeeded him as leader of the dominant UMNO and as prime minister. IN April 1982, Dr. Mahathir called new federal elections. The UMNO-led Barisan Nasional won an unprecedented victory, securing 140 of the 154 seats in the lower house of Parliament. In state assembly elections held the same day in Peninsular Malaysia, the Barisan Nasional swept 282 of 312 seats and retained control of all 11 state governments. In July 1986, Dr. Mahathir dissolved the lower house of Parliament and the 11 peninsular state assemblies and called elections for August 1986. The Barisan Nasional won 148 of the 177 parliamentary constituencies, and retained control of all 11 peninsular state assemblies. In East Malaysia, the Barisan Nasional won a state election in Sarawak in April 1987. Sabah was ruled by an opposition party, the PBS, from April 1985 until June 1986 when the PBS was admitted to the Barisan Nasional. Malaysia's predominant political party, UMNO, held party elections in April 1987; Dr. Mahathir successfully defended the presidency against his challenger, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. In February 1988, the high court, in dismissing a case brought by 11 members of the group that supported Tengku Razaleigh in the party elections, held that because of irregularities in the registration of a number of its branches, UMNO was not a legally registered party at the time of the party elections. A new UMNO is being reformed under Dr. Mahathir whose position as prime minister is not affected, as the constitution does not require that the prime minister be from any political party. Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, August 1988. </body> </article> </text>