MALAYSIAN STUDIES EXAM TIPS

TRIMESTER I 2010/2011
PART 1
1) In 1919 the British administratively combined
Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis and Johor
as the Non-Federated Malay States.

2) In 1949, the British Government set up an Inter-

Ethnic Relations Committee for the purpose of
open discussions of racial problems. Inter-Ethnic
Relations Committee put forward various
suggestions like providing facilities to the Malays
to involve themselves in business and industry,
and political rights to the non-Malays.
3) Malaysia was declared a new nation on 16th
September , 1963.

4) Factors encouraged Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak

and Singapore to unite with Malaya to form
Malaysia :
a) independence through unification
b) understanding for development
c) ethnic balance and unity.
d) collective fight against communism
e) economic cooperation
f) united in international relations
5) The Malays opposed the Malayan Union for a
number of reasons:
a) the granting of citizenship to the non-
Malays.
b) erosion of Malay rulers’ power and
sovereignty
c) MacMichael’s threats in getting the rulers
to sign the agreement
6) Factors that brought about Malayan Union’s
dissolution:

a) Strong opposition from the Malays

The suggestion to set up MU stirred up a
strong sense of nationalism among the Malays.

b) No strong support from the non-Malays

The non-Malays were not interested in the MU
because it excluded Singapore.
c) Wrong timing
Communal feelings and hostility still existed between Malays
and the Chinese as a result of the Japanese Occupation. The
conditions in Malaya then were still not really peaceful. Social
and economic problems were obvious. MU was accused of
putting Malays at a disadvantage and favouring the non-Malays.
Malay loyalty to their ruler and state was still strong.

d) Wrong introduction
MU was drawn up in London without taking into account the
situation and wishes of the people in Malaya. There was also
strong objection to the use of political blackmail to get the
agreement signed.

e) Opposition from former British administrators in Malaya

They urged British to protect the interest and special rights of
the Malays.
7) As soon as the British returned to Malaya, they
set up the administration called British Military
Administration
PART 2
1) Yang di Pertuan Agong is the supreme head
of Malaysia

2) Main function of the legislative body is to

draw up, amend and pass laws.
3) Functions of the Conference of Rulers:
a) Deliberating on questions of national
policies.
b) Appointing the members of the Special
Court.
c) Granting pardons, suspending or
commuting sentences.
NOT passing laws which will directly affect the
privileges and the positions of the Rulers.
4) A person can vote for the House of
Representatives or State Legislative Council
election when:
a) Has registered a voter.
b) Reached the age of 21 on the qualifying
date.
c) Resides in an election division on the
qualifying date or if not residing is considered
as absentee voter.
NOT IF on the qualifying date a person is found guilty
and is imposed the death sentence or jail exceeding
12 months in any Commonwealth country.
5) The Courts are empowered to declare a
written Federal or State law invalid if
a) the State law contradicts the Federal law,
Article 75
b) the law clashes with Article 74, [1] of the
Constitution
c) the law is outside the jurisdiction of
Parliament or outside the jurisdiction of
the State Legislature, Article 74 [1] and [2]
NOT IF the public rejects the law
6) Legislative Body:

Assemblies at federal level (Parliament) are

House of Representatives and House of
Senate.

Assembly at state level is State Legislative

Assembly.
7) Three levels of judicial system in Malaysia:
Federal Court
• Consists of the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Chief
Justice of the High Courts, four judges and a number of
additional judges.
• Decides on the validity of laws made in Parliament or the State
Legislature
• Decides on disputes between the Federal and State
governments.
• Decides on disputes between two states.
• Deliberates on appeals of civil and criminal cases from the High
Court.
• Advises the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the Constitution.
High Court
• Headed by the Chief Judge of the High Court.
• Generally, the High Court has the jurisdiction to
hear cases which carry the death penalty.
• The High Court has the jurisdiction to hear civil
cases such as matrimonial cases, bankruptcy and
company cases, guardianship of disabled persons.
Lower Court
Sessions Court
• Headed by a sessions court judge
• The highest of the lower courts
• Hears all criminal offences other than except
those punishable with death
• Can impose jail sentences, fine and whipping
befitting the offence committed, as permitted by
the law.
• Hears civil cases where the amount disputed does
not exceed RM 250,000
• Hears civil cases on landlord and tenant
Magistrate Court
• Headed by a magistrate
• Hears light criminal and civil cases where the
maximum imprisonment does not exceed 10
years or are punishable by fine only
• Hears claims for repayment of debts in the
monetary form
• Can impose caning for criminal cases.
“Penghulu” Court (Sub-District Level)
• Headed by the Penghulu or Head of the Mukim
in the Penghulu hall (found in Peninsular
Malaysia)
• Examines light criminal cases where the fine
does not exceed RM25/=
• Examines civil cases where the fine does not
exceed RM50/=
• Appeals against the court’s decisions on criminal
and civil cases can be made in the First Class
Magistrate Court.
District Court
• Headed by the District Officer
• This court exists in Sabah and Sarawak
• Has the authority to decide a re-trial
PART III
1) Religion is provided for in Part I, Chapter 3 of the
Malaysian Constitution and clarifies that
-in states that have a ruler or sultan as head of state, the
sultan or ruler is the head of Islam in the state
concerned
-Islam is the official religion of the Federation; but other
religion are allowed to be practiced in peace and
harmony in any part of the Federation.
-for states without a sultan or ruler (Sabah,
Sarawak, Malacca and Penang Island) and the
Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and
Putrajaya) the head of Islam is the Yang di-
Pertuan Agong.
NOT that the 1971 Education Act underlines
that Islamic Studies to be learned by all races.
2) A person can obtain citizenship status in
Malaysia, based on:
– jus soli
– marriage
– jus sanguinis
– naturalisation

3) The Malaysian Constitution has a special

provision under Article 153 that protects the
special rights of the Malays and the
Bumiputras of Sabah and Sarawak
4) The Malaysian Constitution made provisions for the
fundamental liberties of the citizens in three forms of
freedom: personal freedom, freedom of worship and
economic freedom. The statements true about
personal freedom
• A person who is arrested must be told of the reasons
for his arrest.
• A person cannot have his life taken away or his
freedom destroyed except as required by the law.
• A person is allowed to speak and voice his opinion or to
gather peacefully and to form associations.
A person can NOT be tortured and exiled from the
Federation.
5) The important measures taken and efforts
made to develop and improve the National
Language since Independence:
– The 1971 Education Act underlined that the
National Language be used for all official
purposes.
– “Corpus planning”, that is the preparation
and fixing of spellings, terminology,
dictionary making and grammar.
– Constitutional Act (Amendment) (No.2),
1971 underlined that the status of the
Malay Language as the national and official
language and the status of other languages
cannot be questioned anymore.
– In 1974, the special Cabinet committees,
after assessing the implementation of the
language policy, issued the Cabinet Report
in 1980 with a re-emphasis on the use of
the Malay Language as the means to unify
and integrate the multi-racial Malaysian
society.
6) The concept of jus sanguinis refers to the
laws according to blood descent
7) Ways of acquiring citizenship in Malaysia:
• Jus Soli - Law of birthplace
-Regardless the status of the mother or father, citizenship
is automatic for people born in Malaysia between
Independence Day, (31st August 1957) and October
1962. -Those born after 1962 can become citizen if they
fulfill one of the conditions below:
– the mother of father is a citizen at the time of his birth
– at the time of his birth, the mother or the father has
been residing in the country
– at the time of his birth he was not a citizen of any
country
 
• Jus Sanguinis - Law of blood descent
-Lies solely on the citizenship status of the father,
regardless he is born outside Malaysia.
-With the following conditions: -
– His own father was born in Malaysia or
– His father holds a post in the Public Service at the
Federal or State level or
– His birth was registered at the office of a Malaysian
Consulate or with the Malaysian government within
one year after his birth
• Marriage or Registration
Through marriage, the conditions: -
– If the husband is a citizen in October 1962 or prior to that,
and the marriage is still binding, or
– The foreign woman has lived in the Federation for two
years before the application is made, has the intention to
continue living in the Federation and is of good conduct
OR

Through registration, the conditions:-

– Citizenship of the parents.
– The place of residence.
– Knowledge of the Malay language,
– Interested to stay permanently.
– Takes an oath of allegiance to Malaysia.
Naturalization
• Requirement -
– Aged 21 and above, and
– Have lived in the Federation for at least 10 out of 12
years from and up to the date of application, and
– Have the intention to live permanently in the
country, and
– Of good conduct and
– Have sufficient knowledge of the Malay language
PART IV
1) Factors that encouraged the migration of
Indonesians to Malaya:
• Malaya’s economy was growing during the 20th
century
• political instability in Indonesia because of the
Dutch colonization
• the increasing population caused a rise in the
rate of poverty besides the variety of tax
charges imposed upon them by the Dutch
colonialists
NOT the migration of the Indians and Chinese to
Malaya
2) Amalgamation is a process that happens
when culture or races mix to form types of
new culture and race.

3) The factors that affect national integration

negatively:
• prejudice
• communalism
• ethnocentrism
NOT miscommunication
4) Rukun Negara was designed to:
• maintain a democratic way of life
• achieve a greater unity among the people
• create a just society in which the nation’s
wealth can be enjoyed together in a fair and
equitable manner
NOT to force a person to take part in a religious
ceremony other than his own
5) Rukun Negara (National Ideology):
• Belief in God
• Loyalty to King and Country
• Upholding the Consitution.
• Rule of Law
• Decorum and Morality
6) Stage of co-existence - At this stage the race
of different background have contact, even
though the people concerned live in the same
area they rarely communicate. Contact
between them is limited to matters of
necessity only, especially in matters of
economic signifignance. This can be illustrated
with reference to the life of a multi-ethnic and
multi-racial society in the era of the British
colonialists.
7) Five processes of integration:
• 1. Segregation
• This is the relation that has the characteristics of a
spilt among the ethnic groups in a country.
• The spilt occurs in various situations, such as the
area of residence, the school system,
transportation and public facilities.
• Segregation occurs whether consciously by law
(de jure) or not based on law (de facto).
• An example of segregation de jure is the apartheid
policy that was practiced before in South Africa.
 
2. Accommodation
• This is a process where the ethnic groups are aware of
each other’s norms and values but they continue to
safeguard their own living culture.
• However, they live in harmony and respect one and
another.
• At the level of the central government each ethnic group
sends a representative who represents his own group.
• But in certain institution like economy and education they
are mutually dependent on one another.
• Switzerland is an example of a country that has ethnic
relations of the accommodation kind, with ethnic groups
consisting of Germans, French and Italians who
accommodate one another and live in peaceful co-
existence.
3. Acculturation
• This is the process that is sometimes known as cultural
assimilation.
• It happens when people from a minority group accept
the norms, values and patterns of behaviour (culture) of
the majority group.
• This process is a process of borrowing or accepting the
cultural elements of the majority group, without
changing the original cultural elements
• 4. Assimilation
• This is a process that is sometimes given the name
of structural assimilation to differentiate it from
acculturation or cultural assimilation.
• The concept of assimilation is about the entry into
a dominant society through friendship and close
connection.
• The degree of assimilation of the minority groups
varies, that is, based on physical differences (like
the colour of the skin and the degree to which the
cultural features differ from that of the dominant
group.
5. Amalgamation
• This is a process that happens when culture or
race mixes to form types of new culture and
race.
• The most important way of making sure the
process of amalgamation takes place is
through inter-marriage between ethnic
groups or races.
PART V
1) The strategies under the New Economic
Policy (NEP) to restructure the society:
– Build a business society among the
bumiputeras.
– Raise the people’s ownership in the private
sector.
– Enhance education opportunities within
and outside the country.
– Develop areas that have remained
backwards but are high in potential.
2) Statements referring to the National Privatisation Policy:
– The National Privatisation Policy indicates that the Government
was ready to reduce and give up a number of government
activities in the country to the private sector for implementation
so as to raise productivity quality and administrative efficiency.
– In 1993, the Government made known the National Privatisation
Policy, a policy that supports the Malaysian Incorporation Policy
and transfers government sector functions and activities to the
private sector.
NOT
– That the National Privatisation Policy was introduced to
achieve biological diversity in Malaysia.
– That the implementation of the National Privatisation
Policy was necessary to bring about effective social
management as Malaysia has various ethnic groups.
3) Malaysia can be prepared to experience the
materialization of Vision 2020 by becoming a:
• society with a competitive economy
• developing society advanced in science and
technology
• society in which there is a fair and equitable
distribution of wealth
NOT a society which enjoys absolute freedom
4) The main policies in Malaysia?
• The objective of Vision 2020 is to achieve a
developed nation status by the year 2020.
• The National Industrialization Policy is to
intensify the industrial growth through
manufacturing.
• The Incorporation Policy was introduced to
reduce financial and administrative burden of
the government.
• The concept of Privatization Policy is defined as
a company that is a joint venture between the
private and public sector.
5) Organizations that has Malaysia as its
member:
• Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
• Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).
• Association of Southast Asian Nations
(ASEAN).
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
6) Nations which grew out of the British Empire
and which recognized the British sovereign as
the head of the organization explains the
membership of the Commonwealth