Portal:Malaysia/Selected article/Archive

July 23 - September 26, 2005


Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (born June 10, 1925) was the Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. During his term in office he was credited for engineering Malaysia's rapid modernisation and the resulting high levels of prosperity now enjoyed by nearly all Malaysians. By fostering a Malay middle class, independent of the traditionally-dominant Chinese minority, Mahathir was able to maintain peace between the various races in Malaysia, and this is regarded by many as his greatest achievement. However, he also came under great criticism for his authoritarian ruling style and for rampant cronyism in his government. Mahathir could also be very outspoken, and at times made public statements which critics said were "tinged with anti-semitism".

Formally, Mahathir is known as Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. His supporters call him Dr. M.

September 26, 2005 - January 20, 2006


Malaysia Airlines (Malay: Malaysia Airline System Berhad) is the national airline of Malaysia, serving international and domestic destinations.

Malaysia Airlines began in 1947 as Malayan Airways but was renamed Malaysian Airways following the creation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Following the independence of Singapore from Malaysia, it was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in 1966. MSA ceased operations in 1972 after the formation of two separate entities - Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and Singapore Airlines. The Singaporean Government wanted to develop its international operations, while Malaysia wanted the airline to first focus on domestic and regional growth before finally becoming fully international. The airline needs of the two countries were not compatible.

When MSA was split up, the assets of the former MSA were divided unequally, though Singapore was made to pay for substantial amount of the imbalance. Singapore Airlines kept all the Boeing 737s and 707s, all international routes out of Singapore and MSA's high rise headquarters in Singapore. MAS was left with only a handful of Fokker F27s, domestic Malaysian routes, and international routes out of Malaysia, beginning service on those routes on October 1, 1972.

In 1987 the airline began using its current name (Malaysia Airlines), though the acronym MAS remained in use.

January 20 - October 10, 2006
Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia grants the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, or King of Malaysia responsibility for safeguarding the rights and privileges of the Malay and other indigenous peoples of Malaysia, collectively referred to as Bumiputra. The article specifies how the federal government may protect the interest of these groups by establishing quotas for entry into the civil service, public scholarships and public education. It is often considered to be part of Malaysian social contract.

October 18, 2006 - June 7, 2007
Malaysiakini is a high-brow Malaysian political news website published in English, Malay and Chinese. Since its launch on November 20, 1999 it has been widely considered to be one of the leading independent news agencies in Malaysia. Malaysiakini claims to attract 50,000 visitors a day and three million page views a month, substantial figures by Malaysian standards.

Unlike most news sources in Malaysia, Malaysiakini remains free from government regulation and thus widely considered to be the country's only credible, independent voice. Malaysiakini has gained both praise and notoriety by regularly covering subjects and viewpoints deemed taboo by the mainstream broadcast and print media; the fact that it is still allowed to operate is partly due to the Malaysian government's tolerance regarding internet censorship. The Malaysian government had pledged there would be no control and censorship of Internet content in line with efforts to create the Multimedia Super Corridor.

June 7 - August 15, 2007


Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah, as well as the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. Located on the north-west coast of the island of Borneo facing the South China Sea and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park on one side, and with Mount Kinabalu in the background, Kota Kinabalu sprawls for kilometers along the coast and towards inland. With an estimated population of 532,129 in the city and 700,000 in the urban area, it is the largest urban centre in Sabah and the sixth largest in Malaysia.

Kota Kinabalu, often simply known as K.K., is well known within Malaysia, and to an extent, internationally, as a tourism getaway and a major gateway into Sabah and Borneo. Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site, is located about 90 kilometres from the city, and besides this, it also features a number of tourist attractions in and around the city itself. The city is also one of the major industrial and commercial centers in East Malaysia besides Kuching in Sarawak. These two factors combine to make Kota Kinabalu one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

August 15 - November 24, 2007
Merdeka is the Malay word for independence. The 50th anniversary of Merdeka was celebrated in Malaysia on 31 August 2007. The term was significant during the anticolonialist and pro-independence movements of the colonies of Malaya, Singapore and Indonesia, in the history of Malaysia, the history of Singapore and in the history of Indonesia. It became a battle-cry for those demanding independence from the colonial administrations of the United Kingdom and Netherlands.

November 24, 2007 - July 13, 2008
The Federated Malay States (FMS) was a federation of four states on the Malay Peninsula - Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang - established by the British government in 1895, and lasted until 1946, when they together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay States formed the Malayan Union. Two years later, the Union became the Federation of Malaya and finally Malaysia in 1963 with the inclusion of Sabah (then North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore. The United Kingdom was responsible for foreign affairs and defence, whilst the states continued to be responsible for their domestic policies. Even so, the British Resident General would give advice on domestic issues, and the states were bound by treaty to follow that advice. The federation had Kuala Lumpur, which was then part of Selangor as its capital. The first FMS Resident General was Sir Frank Swettenham. The federation along with the other Malay states of the peninsular and British possessions was overrun and occupied by the Japanese. After the liberation of Malaya due to the Japanese surrender, the federation was not restored. However, the federal form of government was retain as the principal model in consolidating the separate States for a Malayan independence and later evolution into Malaysia.