Executive branch: chief of state: Paramount Ruler TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1994) and Deputy Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah (since 26 April 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ANWAR bin Ibrahim (since 1 December 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler and deputy paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 4 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: TUANKU JA'AFAR ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman elected paramount ruler; Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elected deputy paramount ruler
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (69 seats; 43 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 elected by the state legislatures; elected members serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (192 seats; members elected by popular vote directly weighted toward the rural Malay population to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate-last held NA April 1995 (next to be held by 2000); House of Representatives-last held 24-25 April 1995 (next to be held by 2000) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-National Front 63%, other 37%; seats by party-National Front 162, DAP 9, PBS 8, PAS 7, Spirit of '46 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the paramount ruler
Political parties and leaders:
Peninsular Malaysia: National Front, a confederation of 13 political
parties dominated by United Malays National Organization Baru (UMNO
Baru), MAHATHIR bin Mohamad; Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), LING
Liong Sik; Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, LIM Keng Yaik; Malaysian Indian
Congress (MIC), S. Samy VELLU; major opposition parties are Parti
Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Ustaz Fadzil Mohamed NOOR and the Democratic
Action Party (DAP), LIM Kit Siang
Sabah: National Front, dominated by the UMNO; Sabah Progressive Party
(SAPP), Datuk YONG Teck Lee; Parti Democratic Sabah (PDS), Bernard
DOMPOK; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Datuk Joseph KURUP
Sarawak: National Front, composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra
Bersatu (PBB), Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud; Sarawak United
People's Party (SUPP), Datuk Amar Stephen YONG Kuat Tze; Sarawak
National Party (SNAP), Datuk Amar James WONG; Parti Bansa Dayak
Sarawak (PBDS), Datuk Leo MOGGIE; major opposition party is Democratic
Action Party (DAP), LIM Kit Siang
note: subsequent to the election, the following parties were
dissolved-Spirit of '46 (Semangat '46), Tengku Tan Sri RAZALEIGH,
president, and Sabah United Party (Parti Bersatu Sabah, PBS), Datuk
Seri Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador DALI Mahmud Hashim chancery: 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 483-7661 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John R. MALOTT embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur or American Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 248-9011 FAX: [60] (3) 242-2207
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 fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
@Malaysia:Economy
Economy-overview: After decades of high GDP growth, Malaysia's economy-shaken by the ongoing regional financial crisis in 1997/98-is forecast by the government to grow only 4%-5% in 1998; private forecasts project the growth rate could be as low as 2%. The sharp decline in local currency and stock markets forced Kuala Lumpur to announce tough cost-cutting measures-on top of a contractionary budget-to further reduce the current account deficit to 3% of GDP in 1998 from 5.5% in 1997. To achieve this goal, Kuala Lumpur will cut government spending by 20% and continue to slash big-ticket imports and defer large-scale infrastructure projects. Government austerity and slower growth mean increased unemployment and higher interest rates that will bite into corporate earnings.