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1 1 (May 22, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govzvp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Ml Congressonal Research Service ~Informinj the legislative debate since 1914 Malaysia Updated May 22, 2019 Overview The Federation of Malaysia is a majority Muslim parliamentary democracy in Southeast Asia. It has an ethnically and religiously diverse population of 31.8 million, with a Malay majority and large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. Malaysia is considered a middle-income country, relatively prosperous among Southeast Asian nations. Malaysian politics underwent substantial change in 2018, when an opposition coalition known as Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, defeated the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in nationwide elections. It was the first change of government in Malaysia's history. Mahathir, who had been Prime Minister from 1981-2003 under the ruling coalition before later forming an opposition party, ran a campaign promising to fight the corruption of the previous government. Many heralded the peaceful transfer of power as a sign of democratic development in a country long seen as an authoritarian democracy. Malaysia plays an active role in regional diplomacy, and it has been a partner in various U.S. initiatives in Asia, including trade and security initiatives as well as efforts to combat terrorism and religious extremism. It is one of four Southeast Asian nations that have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, and its export-led economy has encouraged it to undertake trade negotiations with the United States and others. Malaysia was a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), from which the United States withdrew in 2017, and it is one of 11 members of the renamed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Malaysia was an original member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and it sees itself as both a regional leader and a moderate voice within the Islamic world. Despite generally cooperative bilateral relations with the United States, some issues remain obstacles to closer ties, including Malaysian opposition to much U.S. policy in the Middle East, and U.S. concerns over some Malaysian economic and human-rights policies. Democracy and Politics in Maaysa Until May 2018, Malaysia had been ruled by a single political coalition since its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The Barisan Nasional was led by the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO), a Malay- nationalist party that draws its membership predominantly from the country's Malay majority. UMNO enacted a series of economic and social preferences for bumiputera (ethnic Malays and indigenous peoples), and it derived much of its appeal from issues of ethnic identity. Mahathir was an UMNO member until 2016, when he left to form a new party, Bersatu. The 2018 election led to a peaceful and democratic change of government in a region where many analysts have perceived a decline in democratic institutions in recent years. Despite uneven electoral representation favoring Malay-dominated districts and strong government influence over media outlets, Mahathir's coalition won 122 seats in Malaysia's 222-seat parliament. Polling suggested that Malaysian voters were deeply concerned with corruption under the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has since been indicted for money laundering related to his chairmanship of 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund. Population/area: 3,1.8 million with rowtch rate of 1ao(2o08) Slightly large than Neo M rexicoM u Government type: *'AA~ Fsederal Constittion cal Mionar chyis u (Par amentary Democracy) l n I i , Prime Minister: nM wt Mhnahathi Mohm aad Chief of State: King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahm-ad Shah GDP: $29,100 per capita ppp wvith 5.9%ugrowrth (2017) GDP Sector of origin: a sicultur e insry 37l6% d i Services 53vne - (2017a Religions: slathi 61.3% Buddhim 198, Chrmstianity 2,4 Hinduist 6.n% t201o) Ethnictties: BuLmiputera (Malay & other indigenous) 62% ,, Chinese 205,Indiain 5.7%, (21117) Source: CIA World Factbook. More than one year into Mahathir' s government, numerous questions remain about Malaysia's political trajectory. The sometimes fractious coalition consists of four highly diverse parties and includes both former members of UMNO and longtime opposition politicians. One of the partners is Parti Keadilan, led by Anwar Ibrahim, a former UMNO leader and Deputy Prime Minister who broke with then Prime Minister Mahathir in the 1990s and was twice convicted and jailed for sodomy and corruption. Many observers considered those charges to be motivated by Mahathir's desire to sideline a popular critic of his government. Mahatir has said Anwar will succeed him in the current government (Anwar's wife, Wan Azizai Wan Ismail, is now Mahathir's deputy prime minister), but he has indicated no timetable for such a transition. Some Malaysian political analysts express concerns that the pace of political and economic reform under the new government has been slow, and the government has rekindled some long-standing disputes with neighboring Singapore. p sconess.o

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