Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0230/02308.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 46KB | 755 lines

$Unique_ID{COW02308}
$Pretitle{245}
$Title{Malaysia
Front Matter}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Frederica M. Bunge}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{percent
chinese
malaysia
malay
malays
political
national
economic
government
new}
$Date{1984}
$Log{Map of Malaysia*0230802.scf
Table A.*0230801.tab
}
Country:     Malaysia
Book:        Malaysia, A Country Study
Author:      Frederica M. Bunge
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1984

Front Matter

Foreword

     This volume is one of a continuing series of books prepared by Foreign
Area Studies, The American University, under the Country Studies/Area Handbook
Program. The last page of this book provides a listing of other published
studies. Each book in the series deals with a particular foreign country,
describing and analyzing its economic, national security, political, and
social systems and institutions and examining the interrelationships of those
systems and institutions and the ways that they are shaped by cultural
factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social
scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic insight and understanding of
the society under observation, striving for a dynamic rather than a static
portrayal of it. The study focuses on historical antecedents and on the
cultural, political and socioeconomic characteristics that contribute to
cohesion and cleavage within the society. Particular attention is given to the
origins and traditions of the people who make up the society, their dominant
beliefs and values, their community of interests and the issues on which they
are divided, the nature and extent of their involvement with the national
institutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward the social
system and political order within which they live.

     The contents of the book represent the views, opinions, and findings of
Foreign Area Studies and should not be construed as an official Department of
the Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other official
documentation. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards of
scholarly objectivity. Such corrections, additions, and suggestions for
factual or other changes that readers may have will be welcomed for use in
future new editions.

William Evans-Smith
Director, Foreign Area Studies
The American University
Washington, D.C. 20016

Acknowledgments

     The authors are grateful to numerous individuals in the international
community, in various agencies of the United States government, and in private
organizations in Washington, D.C., who gave of their time, research materials,
and special knowledge to provide data and perspective for this study. In
particular, they wish to thank Dr. Llewellyn D. Howell of the School of
International Service of the College of Public and International Affairs at
The American University for sharing valuable insights and knowledge, as well
as the contents of his personal library and the resources of the university's
Center for Asian Studies.

     The authors also thank members of the Foreign Area Studies staff who
contributed directly to the preparation of the manuscript. These include
Dorothy M. Lohmann, Andrea T. Merrill, and Denise Ryan, who edited the
manuscript and the accompanying figures and tables; Harriett R. Blood, who
prepared the graphics; and Gilda V. Nimer, librarian. The team appreciates as
well the assistance provided by Ernest A. Will, publications manager, and
Eloise W. Brandt and Wayne W. Olsen, administrative assistants. Margaret Quinn
typed the manuscript, with the help of Charlotte B. Pochel, and gave valuable
help in various phases of production. Special thanks are owed to Farah
Ahannavard, who designed the illustrations for the cover of this volume and
for the title pages of the chapters.

     The inclusion of photographs in this study was made possible by the
generosity of various individuals and private and public agencies. The authors
acknowledge their indebtedness to those who offered original work not
previously published.

Preface

     Earlier editions of this study were completed in times of considerable
ferment in Malaysia. Research for the 1970 edition was conducted in the wake
of the violent communal riots of May 1969. The 1976 edition was completed five
months after the unexpected death in office of the prime minister, Tun Abdul
Razak, and in the aftermath of a series of international events that had
radically altered Malaysia's foreign policy environment. As the 1984 edition
was undertaken, the situation was relatively settled, although the country's
political, economic, and social conditions were undeniably undergoing change.
The year 1984, marked by significant constitutional and economic developments,
made an appropriate point for reconsidering the course of the country and the
aspirations of its people.

     Spellings of place-names used in the study conform generally to those in
Gazetteer No. 10: Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Official Standard Names (2d
ed.), prepared in the Geographic Names Division of the United States Army
Topographic Command and dated November 1970. Certain exceptions include the
use of Penang and Malacca instead of Pinang and Melaka. This study has
followed the official Malaysian convention of using the term Malay to describe
the indigenous ethnic group and its language; when referring to citizens
without regard to ethnic designation, the text uses the term Malaysian. The
plural form for most communal groups other than Malay(s) and for Malaysian
words has been given without an s ending. Unless otherwise noted, weights are
presented in metric tons. The reader may refer to the Glossary for United
States dollar-Malaysian ringgit equivalents and for definitions of other
frequently used terms.

     The bewildering array of Malaysian honorific words and titles presented
an especially ticklish problem for the authors, who apologize for any
inadvertent error in their use of personal names. In determining the order of
elements in personal names in both the Bibliography and the Index, the authors
have generally followed principles set forth in Anglo-American Cataloguing
Rules (2d ed.) as well as authoritative alphabetic lists from the country.

[See Table A.: Historical Political Evolution]

Country Profile

[See Map of Malaysia: Courtesy Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC.]

Country

     Formal Name: Malaysia.

     Term for Citizens: Malaysians.

     Preindependence Political Status: British colonies and protectorates.
Peninsular Malaysia attained independence as Federation of Malaya on August
31, 1957; states on island of Borneo-Sabah and Sarawak-joined federation to
form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.

     Capital: Kuala Lumpur.

     Flag: 14 horizontal red and white stripes of equal width, representing
equal membership in federation of 13 component states and federal government.
Yellow crescent and star in blue upper left quadrant.

Geography

     Size: Land area of about 330,000 square kilometers. Two
regions-Peninsular Malaysia and states of Sabah and Sarawak-separated by some
650 kilometers of South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia borders Thailand on
north; linked to Singapore by causeway south across Johore Strait. To its
west across Strait of Malacca lies Indonesian island of Sumatra. Sabah and
Sarawak border Indonesian territory of Kalimantan on island of Borneo. To
northeast of Sabah lies Philippines.

     Topography: Peninsular Malaysia has long, narrow, steep mountain range
in center, coastal plains on east and west; Sabah and Sarawak have flat
coastal plain rising to mountainous mass in center. About 70 percent of
country covered by tropical rain forest.

     Climate: Tropical; high temperatures and high humidity. Two monsoon
seasons. Southwest monsoon brings heavy, unpredictable rains from mid-April
to mid-October. Northeast monsoon from beginning of October to end of February
brings more predictable rains. Average rainfall between 2,000 and 2,540
mil