The Constitution of Malaysia, comprising more than 180 articles, is the supreme law of Malaysia. Law (a loanword from Old Norse lagu), in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, intended to provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments of/for those who...

History

The Constitution was drafted based on the advice of the Reid Commission which conducted a study in 1956. The Constitution came into force upon independence on August 31, 1957. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining, as the final day of August. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Amendments

To amend the Constitution, a 2/3rds majority agreeing to the amendment is required in both houses of Parliament. According to constitutional scholar Shad Saleem Faruqi, the Constitution has been amended 42 times over the 48 years since independence as of 2005. However, as several amendments were made each time, he estimates the true number of individual amendments is around 650. When asked if "the spirit of the original document has been diluted", he replied that "there is no doubt about it." The Parliament of Malaysia consists of the lower house (Dewan Rakyat or literally Peoples Hall, in Malay) and upper house (Dewan Negara or Nations Hall in Malay). ... Shad Saleem Faruqi is a Malaysian professor of law and also serves as legal advisor at the Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam, Selangor. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Organisation

The Constitution is divided into 13 parts, each part containing one or more relevant articles.

• Part 1 - The states, religion and law of the federation
• Part 2 - Fundamental liberties

See also

• History of Malaysia
• Politics of Malaysia
• Discrimination against non-Muslims in Malaysia
• Malaysian General Election
• Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia

The history of Malaysia is a relatively recent offshoot of the history of the wider Malay-Indonesian world. ... Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, nominally headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (paramount ruler), customarily referred to as the king. ... The Constitution of Malaysia provides for freedom of religion, although Islam is the official religion. ... Malaysian law requires that a general election must be held at least once every five years. ... 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. ...

References

• Ahmad, Zainon & Phang, Llew-Ann (Oct. 1, 2005). The all-powerful executive. The Sun.

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Constitution of Malaysia