malaysia

ASIAN HISTORY MALAYSIA SUBMITTED BY : LIAN BENEDICT V. MARTEL SUBMITTED TO: MS. DIVINA GAMO Topography of Malaysia Four-fifths of Malaysia is covered by rainforest and swamp. The northern regions are divided by a series of mountain ranges that rise abruptly from the wide, flat coastal plains. The highest peaks, Gunong Tahan (2,190 m/7,185 ft) and Gunong Korbu (2,183 m/7,162 ft), are in the north central region. The main watershed follows a mountain range about 80 km (50 mi) inland, roughly parallel to the west coast. The rivers flowing to the east, south, and west of this range are swift and have cut some deep gorges, but on reaching the coastal plains they become sluggish. The western coastal plain contains most of the country's population and the main seaports, George Town (on the offshore Pulau Pinang) and Kelang (formerly Port Swettenham). The eastern coastal plain is mostly jungle and lightly settled. It is subject to heavy storms from the South China Sea and lacks natural harbors. Sarawak consists of an alluvial and swampy coastal plain, an area of rolling country interspersed with mountain ranges, and a mountainous interior. Rain forests cover the greater part of Sarawak. Many of the rivers are navigable. Sabah is split in two by the Crocker Mountains, which extend north and south some 48 km (30 mi) inland from the west coast, rising to over 4,100 m (13,450 ft) at Mt. Kinabalu, the highest point in Malaysia. Most of the interior is covered with tropical forest, while the western coastal area consists of alluvial flats making up the main rubber and rice land. PICTURES OF NATURAL RESOURCES Langkawi Langkawi is one of the most popular places for a Malaysia islands. It is found off the coastal area of Kedah and comprises 99 islands in all, Langkawi being the most favored and well developed. HISTORY OF MALAYSIA History The ancestors of the people that now inhabit the Malaysian peninsula first migrated to the area between 2500 and 1500 B.C. Those living in the coastal regions had early contact with the Chinese and Indians; seafaring traders from India brought with them Hinduism, which was blended with the local animist beliefs. As Muslims conquered India, they spread the religion of Islam to Malaysia. In the 15th century, Islam acquired a firm hold on the region when the Hindu ruler of the powerful city-state of Malacca, Parameswara Dewa Shah, converted to Islam. British and Dutch interest in the region grew in the 1800s, with the British East India Company's establishment of a trading settlement on the island of Singapore. Trade soared, with Singapore's population growing from only 5,000 in 1820 to nearly 100,000 in just 50 years. In the 1880s, Britain formally established protectorates in Malaysia. At about the same time, rubber trees were introduced from Brazil. With the mass production of automobiles, rubber became a valuable export, and laborers were brought in from India to work the rubber plantations. Following the Japanese occupation of Malaysia during World War II, a growing nationalist movement prompted the British to establish the semiautonomous Federation of Malaya in 1948. But Communist guerrillas took to the jungles to begin a war of national liberation against the British, who declared a state of emergency to quell the insurgency, which lasted until 1960. The independent state of Malaysia came into existence on Sept. 16, 1963, as a federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo), and Sarawak. In 1965, Singapore withdrew from the federation to become a separate nation. Since 1966, the 11 states of former Malaya have been known as West Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak as East Malaysia. By the late 1960s, Malaysia was torn by rioting directed against Chinese and Indians, who controlled a disproportionate share of the country's wealth. Beginning in 1968, it was the government's goal to achieve greater economic balance through a national economic policy.  PICTURES OF HISTORICAL FACTS Malacca Sultanate  SULTAN ABDUL SAMAD BUILDING FACTS AND PICTURES OF A HISTORICAL PLACE SULTAN ABDUL SAMAD BUILDING The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was completed in 1896 and remains one of Kuala Lumpur's most recognisable landmarks. Named after a past Sultan and designed by A.C. Norman, the buildling used to house the Federal Court and Court of Appeals until they were moved to the new administrative capital of Putrajaya. The building, opposite Dataran Merdeka, features a Moorish theme in its design with Islamic influences. It has many dome minarets with a 40-meter clock tower near the center as the pinnacle. Visitors are free to explore it. During festive or National Day celebrations, the buildings provide a magnificent backdrop to the parades that run in front of it. FACTS AND PICTURES OF A HISTORICAL PLACE THE NATIONAL MONUMENT OR TUGU NEGARA The National Monument, or Tugu Negara, is one of the world's largest bronze statues. It was built to honour the memory of fallen soldiers during the wars fought by Malaysia. Designed by Felix de Weldon, of USMC War Memorial fame, the National Monument features a group of soldiers, some slain, with the rest holding the national flag up high. The National Monument is surrounded by a fountain and was the brainchild of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the country's first Prime Minister. On July 31 each year, Malaysia celebrates Hari Pahlawan, or Warriors' Day, in which the Prime Minister and highest officials from the police and army will come lay wreaths at the foot of the monument FACTS ABOUT the GOVERNMENT of malaysia Malaysia practises Parliamentary Democracy with a constitutional monarch, His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as the Supreme Head of the country. In keeping with the concept of Parliamentary Democracy which forms the basis of the government administration in Malaysia, the Federal Constitution underlines the separation of governing powers among the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Authorities.  The separation of power occurs both at the Federal and State level. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia is the supreme law of the nation that distributes the power of governance in accordance with the practice of Parliamentary Democracy.The Constitution may be amended by a two-third majority in Parliament. The Federal Constitution underlines the separation of governing powers among the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Authorities. The separation of power occurs both at the Federal and State level as in keeping with the concept of federalism which forms the basis of the government administration in Malaysia. The Parliament, the legislative authority for Malaysia formulates laws applicable to the country as a whole. It passes Federal laws, makes amendments to existing federal laws, examines the government’s policies, approves the government’s expenditures and approves new taxes.  It also serves as the forum for debate and deliberations; and the focus of public opinion on national affairs. ECONOMIC STANDING of the MALAYSIA The Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP or DEB for Dasar Ekonomi Baru in Malay), is an ambitious and controversial socio-economic restructuring affirmative action program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971 under the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. The NEP ended in 1990, and was succeeded by the National Development Policy in 1991. Although the NEP was hailed in some quarters as having reduced the socioeconomic disparity between the Chinese minority and Malay majority, others accused it of having reduced non-Malays to the status of second-class citizens by cementing ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). The NEP is often invoked as part of the Malay Agenda, which is in turn part of the Malaysian social contract granting Malays special rights in return for citizenship for non-Malays. The NEP's success is a subject of heated debate. The NEP targeted a 30% share of the economy for the Bumiputra, but according to official government statistics, the NEP did not succeed in reaching this target. Although the policy ended officially in 1990, Malaysians often refer to the NEP in the present tense because many of the tangible economic benefits it offered the Bumiputra are ongoing. In 2005, some politicians from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the leading political party of the governing Barisan Nasional coalition, called for the restoration of the NEP as part of the New National Agenda (NNA). In 2008, the chief minister of the state of Penang, Lim Guan Eng, made a breakthrough decision whereby he announced that the new state administration will be free from NEP. PEOPLE AND SOCIAL PRACTICES-FESTIVITIES PEOPLE SOCIAL PRACTICES FESTIVITIES Malaysia - Land of Festivals! Anyone visiting Malaysia for the first time would not cease to be amazed by the number of festivals and events that are happening the whole year around. Malaysia, with its mix of ethnic races which include Malays, descendants of the Bugis and Javanese, Chinese, Indian and others, features a colourful potpourri of cultural traditions. Many of these traditions are expressed through the festivals that take place the whole year round!Deepavali This is a Hindu festival of light. Homes of Hindus are lit with little lights to signify the victory over darkness for the Hindus believe that this is the day when the forces of good overcame the forces of evil. Deepavali is a major festival of the Hindus and on the eve prayers are held both at home and in the temples.Hindus take a traditional oil bath in the early hours of the morning on Deepavali day and after prayers entertain their friends and guests to "open house.Christmas The birth of Christ is celebrated by Christians in Malaysia in the true traditional style. Most Christians homes are decorated with festoon and coloured lights and the Christmas tree is a must! Young Christians go carolling days before Christmas day to usher in the Yuletide spirit. Churches hold midnight masses on the eve of Christmas. The festival is celebrated on a national scale in Malaysia and Christians hold "open house" to entertain their friends and colleagues.Thaiponggol In Malaysia, Thaiponggol is a harvest festival celebrated out of season because it is fixed in the Hindu calendar. Tamils celebrate this festival around the second week of January. While it is still dark, farmers rise and cook some of the newly harvested grain. Ponggol is the presentation of the cooked harvested grain to the sun at dawn. However, for urban families, this ritual has been adapted to their own living conditions. Here the family rises, bathes and gets dressed before dawn. This is done without the use of any form of light. When everyone is ready, wearing their best clothes, they assemble around a display of fruits and flowers. PICTURES OF PEOPLE AND FESTIVALS PEOPLE The Malays were Malaysia's largest ethnic group, accounting for over half the population and the national language. With the oldest indigenous peoples they form a group called bumiputera, which translates as "sons" or "princes of the soil." Almost all Malays are Muslims, though Islam here is less extreme than in the Middle East. Traditional Malay culture centers on the kampung, or village, though today one is just as likely to find Malays in the cities.   FESTIVALS Penang International Dragon Boat Festival The Penang's first Dragon Boat Race was held in 1956 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Municipality of George Town. 10 years later the race was revived as part of the Pesta Pulau Pinang. The Pesta races were originally confined to participation from the local teams such as teams from Government Department, associations and commercial establishments. However, in 1979, the boat festival became an international tourism carnival with 2 participation from overseas, Singapore and Hong Kong. Chinese New Year This is the most important festival of the Chinese community and it lasts for a full two weeks! It begins with a reunion dinner which is traditional for every member of the family to attend. Chinese New Year is the time when spirits are appeared and offerings are made to Gods. It is a boisterous festival with the clang of cymbals accompanying lion dances and the thunder of fire crackles filling the air. Guests are entertained to a variety of sumptuous food and drinks and the unmarried youngsters are given Ang Pows - gifts of money enclosed in little red packets. Major hotels and shopping complexes celebrate the occasion by holding lion dances and special Chinese programmers to entertain their clients. FACTS and PICTURES of TOURISTS SPOTS Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur Petronas Towers were the world's tallest buildings before being surpassed by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top, the original height reference used by the US-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitatfrom 1969 (three additional height categories were introduced as the tower neared completion in 1996). Clock tower at night in Penang A clock tower is a tower built with one or more (often four) clock faces. The clock tower is usually part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall, but many clock towers are free-standing. FACTS and PICTURES of TOURISTS SPOTS FLOATING MOSQUE There’s a mosque in the Pearl of the Orient (Penang) that can truly hold its own in terms of architectural splendour.Its proper name is Masjid Terapung or the Floating Mosque. It was built after the tsunami of 2004 destroyed a nearby mosque.it is the pride of Tanjung Bungah residents. As an outstation visitor, I was in awe of its surroundings which lend an irreplaceable natural colour to the magnificent man-made structure.   It is certainly one of Penang’s finest architectural wonders. PALACE OF JUSTICE Palace of Justice houses the Malaysian Court of Appeal and Federal Court, which moved to Putrajaya from the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur in the early 2000s. Malaysia has many natural resources like forests, animals and others. It is undemocratic. It has many tourists’ spots. It is the country that I want to visit. Without this country, my life wouldn’t be complete. It is not a corrupt country according to the forums I have read. For me Malaysia is the dream land in Asia. Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and participates in many international organisations such as the United Nations. 14