About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

14 JMCL 109 (1987)
Sources and Literature of Malaysian Law

handle is hein.journals/jmcl14 and id is 117 raw text is: SOURCES AND LITERATURE OF MALAYSIAN LAW* INTRODUCnON Malaysia is a federation of thirteen states consisting of the eleven states of Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Johore, Kedah, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, Trengganu, Malacca and Penang, and two states in Borneo, namely, Sabah and Sarawak. The historical development of Malaysia will be briefly traced here, in order that the evolution of the legal literature of the country may be more clearly appreciated. Malaysia is basically a common law country, English law having first been introduced into the country with the establishment of the Colony of the Straits Settlements by the British. Penang, the first of the three Settlements, was ceded by Kedah to the East India Company in 1786. Singapore was founded in 1819, and Malacca was acquired in 1824 under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty.' In 1826, these three Settlements were incorporated into a unified administrative unit called the Straits Settlements. Another group of states called the Federated Malay States, com- prising Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor, came into being in 1895 with the signing of the Treaty of Federation.2 These states had, at various times between 1874 and 1888, come under British protection by concluding bilateral agreements,3 and had undertaken to accept the advice of the British Residents on all *This article is a revised and updated version of the writer's The Legal Literature of Malaysia in Malaysian Legal Essays (1986), published with the kind permission of the editor, Professor M.B. Hooker and the publisher, The Malayan Law Journal Pte Ltd. 'W.G. Maxwell & W.W. Gibson, Treaties and Engagements Affecting the Malay States and Borneo (London: J. Truscott, 1924), 8-12. Also reproduced in J. de V. Allen, A.J. Stockwell & L.R. wright, A Collection of Treaties and Other Documents Affecting the Stales of Malaysia, 1761-1963 (London: Oceana, 1981), vol. II, 288-93. 2 Maxwell & Gibson, ibid., 70-71; Allen, Stockwell & Wright, ibid., II, 49-50. 3Maxwell & Gibson, ibid., 20-70; Allen, Stockwell & Wright, ibid., I, 232-327, 341-56, 372-92, 434-51.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most