- published: 27 Aug 2010
- views: 470739
The Judiciary of Malaysia is largely centralized despite Malaysia's federal constitution, heavily influenced by the British Common Law and to a lesser extent Islamic law, and is mostly independent from political interference.
Although British colonialism deeply influenced the judiciary of Malaysia, law and a system of courts were well established long prior to the arrival of the British. For example, Melaka and Brunei maintained order using Islamic law and unwritten law based on tradition and custom. Judges were appointed by the sultan of their state. Before the creation of the Federated Malay States in 1895, chief judges heard appeals from the Islamic courts and further appeals were heard directly by the sultans in consultation with their religious advisors. Under this system the ruler was the source of justice and supreme judicial authority.
The Islamic system of justice was slowly weakened under British rule due to the emphasis placed on separating religious and civil power and creating a formal bureaucratic state governed by written law. William A. Graham, the first head of state government in Kelantan per the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1902, provides an illustrative example. In violation of the treaty with the state ruler Graham worked to curb the power of Islamic courts by refusing police assistance in carrying out their orders and collecting evidence. The marginalization of indigenous courts was formalised with the Judicial Commissioners' Regulations and Order in Council in 1896. This legislation removed the power of the sultans to hear legal appeals and created the office of judicial Commissioner to carry out this function. The Federated Malay States Appeals Orders in Council of 1906 provided for appeals to the Privy Council in London.
Malaysia (i/məˈleɪʒə/ mə-LAY-zhə or i/məˈleɪsiə/ mə-LAY-see-ə) is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. In 2010 the population exceeded 27.5 million, with over 20 million living on the Peninsula.
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963, with si being added to give the new country the name Malaysia. However, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5% for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce and medical tourism.
RADIO STATION | GENRE | LOCATION |
---|---|---|
Fly 95.8 FM Petaling Jaya | Pop,Top 40,World Asia | Malaysia |
Klasik Nasional 48K | Varied | Malaysia |
MY FM | Top 40 | Malaysia |
One FM 88.1 | Varied | Malaysia |
XintongFM | Pop | Malaysia |