东南亚:
|
| 马来西亚 Malaysia 首都:吉隆坡 国家代码: my |
 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚 马来西亚国旗 呈横长方形，长与宽之比为2:1。主体部分由14道红白相间、宽度相等的横条组成。左上方有一深蓝色的长方形，上有一弯黄色新月和一颗14个尖角的黄色星。14道红白横条和14角星象征马来西亚的13个州和政府。蓝色象征人民的团结及马来西亚与英联邦的关系──英国国旗以蓝色为旗底，黄色象征国家元首，新月象征马来西亚的国教伊斯兰教。 国徽 中间为盾形徽。盾徽上面绘有一弯黄色新月和一颗14个尖角的黄色星，盾面上的图案和颜色象征马来西亚的组成及其行政区划。盾面上部列有5把入鞘的短剑，它们分别代表柔佛州、吉打州、玻璃市州、吉兰丹州和丁加奴州。盾面中间部分绘有红、黑、白、黄４条色带，分别代表雪兰莪州、彭亨州、霹雳州和森美兰州。盾面左侧绘有蓝、白波纹的海水和以黄色为地并绘有３根蓝色鸵鸟羽毛，这一图案代表槟榔屿。盾面右侧的马六甲树代表马六甲州。盾面下端左边代表沙巴州，图案中绘有强健的褐色双臂，双手紧握沙巴州州旗。盾面下端右边绘有一只红、黑、蓝３色飞禽，代表沙捞越州。盾面下部中间的图案为马来西亚的国花──木槿，当地人称“班加拉亚”。盾徽两侧各站着一头红舌马来虎，两虎后肢踩着金色饰带，饰带上书写着格言“团结就是力量”。在盾徽上还绘有一弯新月和一颗14角星。 国歌 《我的国家》（马来文：Negaraku） 国花 扶桑花 首都 吉隆坡(kuala lumpur) ，人口约120多万。具有观光和通讯两大功能的吉隆坡塔，高达466米，是亚洲最高塔之一，如两柄银色利剑直插云端。吉隆坡还是这个多民族、多宗教国家的缩影，市内清真寺以及佛教、印度教的寺庙随处可见，基督教的教堂也有20多座。新首都：普特拉贾亚(putrajaya) 位于吉隆坡以南35公里处，总理府及部分政府工作人员于1999年6月迁入，2005年前搬迁完毕，人口约7000。 官方语言 马来语 货币 林吉特 人口 27,170,000人（2007年）（世界第43名）。人口密度：69/km2（世界第97名），其中马来人及其他原住民占66.1%，华人占25.3%，印度人占7.4%。砂捞越州原住居民中以伊班族为主，沙巴州以卡达山族为主。马来语为国语，通用英语，华语使用也较广泛。伊斯兰教为国教，其他宗教有佛教、印度教、基督教、拜物教等。 自然地理 面积33万平方公里。位于东南亚，地处太平洋和印度洋之间。全境被南中国海分成东马来西亚和西马来西亚两部分。西马来西亚为马来亚地区，位于马来半岛南部，北与泰国接壤，西濒马六甲海峡，东临南中国南海，东马来西亚为沙捞越地区和沙巴地区的合称，位于加里曼丹岛北部。海岸线部长4192公里。属热带雨林气候。内地山区年均气温22℃~28℃，沿海平原为25℃~30℃。 独立日 1957年8月31日 国庆日 8月31日 重要节日 马来西亚节日很多，全国大大小小的节日约有上百个。但政府规定的全国性节日只有10个，其中除少数有固定日期外，其余的具体日期由政府在前一年统一公布。主要节日有：元旦、开斋节（穆斯林）、春节（华人）、哈芝节（穆斯林）、屠妖节（印度人）、“五·一”节、圣诞节、卫塞节、现任最高元首诞辰。8月31日为马来西亚国庆（又称独立日）。 灾难意识日：12月26日（2005年马来西亚政府决定设立。选择这一天作为全国“灾难意识日”，是因为马来西亚过去在这一天多次遭受自然灾难的袭击。1996年这一天，东马来西亚的沙巴州遭受强烈热带风暴袭击，有100多人死亡，许多房屋和财产被毁；2004年12月26日，马来西亚北部槟榔屿等州部分地区遭到印度洋海啸袭击，共有60多人死亡。） 国家格言 团结就是力量（马来文：Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu） 国家政要 国王叫米赞阿比丁，2007年4月26日加冕的；总理阿卜杜拉·艾哈迈德·巴达维 (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) ，2003年10月就任，2004年3月连任。 简史 公元初马来半岛建立了羯荼、狼牙修等古国。15世纪初以马六甲为中心的满刺加王国统一了马来半岛的大部分，并发展成当时东南亚主要国际贸易中心。16世纪起先后遭到葡萄牙、荷兰和英国侵略。1911年沦为英国殖民地。沙捞越、沙巴历史上属文莱，1888年两地沦为英国保护国。二次大战期间，马来亚、沙捞越、沙巴被日本占领。战后英国恢复其殖民统治。1957年8月31日马来亚联合邦在英联邦内独立。1963年9月16日，马来亚联合邦和新加坡、沙捞越、沙巴合并组成马来西亚（1965年8月9日新加坡宣布退出）。 行政区划 全国分为13个州，包括西马的柔佛、吉打、吉兰丹、马六甲、森美兰、彭亨、槟城、霹雳、玻璃市、雪兰莪、丁加奴以及东马的沙巴、沙捞越，另有三个联邦直辖区：首都吉隆坡、纳闽和普特拉贾亚（Putra Jaya，联邦政府行政中心）。 【政治】 实行君主立宪制。因历史原因，沙捞越州和沙巴州拥有较大自治权。 以巫统为首的执政党联盟国民阵线（简称“国阵”）长期执政，马来人占政治主导地位，政局稳定。1997年金融危机和安瓦尔事件曾对马政局造成冲击。1999年第十届全国大选中，国阵虽继续保持国会三分之二以上议席，但在马来人中支持率有所下降；反对党伊斯兰教党势力上升，在吉兰丹和丁加奴两州执政。“9·11事件”后，伊斯兰教党的极端宗教色彩受到质疑，处境被动。国阵在三次地方补选中获胜，凝聚力增强，执政地位得到巩固。 2003年10月31日，马哈蒂尔辞去党政职务，巴达维副总理接任总理及国阵、巫统主席，政权平稳过渡。巴达维延续马哈蒂尔既定的内外政策，同时加强政府机构整顿和廉政建设，强调全民分享政治权力和经济发展成果，受到民众普遍欢迎和支持。 2004年3月，马来西亚提前举行第十一届全国大选，国阵创下历届大选最好战绩，赢得219个国会议席中的199席和505个州议席中的452席。巴达维蝉联总理，领导地位进一步巩固。2005、2006年，马来西亚政局继续保持稳定，国阵执政基础稳固。巴达维逐渐树立起自己的执政理念和风格。 宪法 1957年颁布马来亚宪法，1963年马来西亚成立后继续沿用，改名为马来西亚联邦宪法，后多次修订。宪法规定：最高元首为国家首脑、伊斯兰教领袖兼武装部队统帅，由统治者会议选举产生，任期5年。最高元首拥有立法、司法和行政的最高权力，以及任命总理、拒绝解散国会等权力。1993年3月，马议会通过宪法修正案，取消了各州苏丹的法律豁免权等特权。1994年5月修改宪法，规定最高元首必须接受并根据政府建议执行公务。2005年1月，马议会再次通过修宪法案，决定将各州的水供事务管理权和文化遗产管理权移交中央政府。 统治者会议 由柔佛、彭亨、雪兰莪、森美兰、霹雳、丁加奴、吉兰丹、吉打、玻璃市9个州的世袭苏丹和马六甲、槟州、沙捞越、沙巴4个州的州元首组成。其职能是在9个世袭苏丹中轮流选举产生最高元首和副最高元首；审议并颁布国家法律、法规；对全国性的伊斯兰教问题有最终裁决权；审议涉及马来族和沙巴、沙捞越土著民族的特权地位等重大问题。未经该会议同意，不得通过有关统治者特权地位的任何法律。内阁总理和各州州务大臣、首席部长协助会议召开。 议会 也称国会，最高立法机构。由上议院和下议院组成。2003年5月，国会通过重新划分国会和州议会选区的动议，国会下议院议席从194增至219个，除沙捞越以外的12个州议席从422增至505个。议员任期5年。本届国会于2004年3月第十一届全国大选后组成。以巫统为首的国阵拥有199席，超过议席总数的90%。反对党拥有19席，其中民主行动党12席，伊斯兰教党6席，国民公正党1席。无党派独立人士1席。下议院议长坦·斯里·拉姆利·雅·塔利布（Tan Sri RAMLI Ngah Talib），2004年11月22日任职。上议院有70名议员，由全国13个州议会各选举产生2名，其余44名由最高元首根据内阁推荐委任，任期3年。上议院议长坦·斯里·阿卜杜尔·哈密德（Tan Sri Dr. ABDUL HAMID bin Pawanteh），2003年7月7日任职。 政府 本届政府于2004年3月组成，2006年2月进行了小幅改组，共设28个部门，现任内阁成员有：总理兼财政部长和国内安全部长达图·斯里·阿卜杜拉·艾哈迈德·巴达维（Datuk Seri ABDULLAH Ahmad Badawi），副总理兼国防部长达图·斯里·纳吉布·敦·拉扎克(Dato’Seri NAJIB Tun Razak)，总理府部长坦·斯里·博纳德·吉鲁克·东波（Tan Sri BERNARD GILUK DOMPOK）、达图·斯里·穆罕默德·纳兹里·阿卜杜尔·阿齐兹（Datuk Seri MOHD NAZIR Abdul Aziz）、达图·斯里·阿卜杜拉·玛·辛（Dutuk Seri ABDULLAH Mat Zin）、达图·迈克希姆斯·翁科里（Datuk MAXIMUS Ongkili）、达图·斯里·穆罕默德·阿芬迪（Dato’ Sri MOHD. EFFENDI）,第二财政部长坦·斯里·诺尔·穆罕默德·雅各布（Tan Sri NOR MOHAMED Yakcop），内政部长达图·斯里·穆罕默德·拉德兹（Dato’ Seri MOHD RADZI bin Sheikh Ahmad），国际贸易和工业部长达图·斯里·拉菲达·阿齐兹(Datuk Seri RAFIDAH Aziz)，教育部长达图·希沙慕汀·侯赛因（Dato’ HISHAMUDDIN bin Tun Hussein），高等教育部长达图·姆斯塔法（Datuk MUSTAPA bin Mohamed），企业及合作社发展部长达图·卡立德·诺丁（Datuk KHALED Nordin），房屋及地方政府部长达图·斯里·黄家定（Datuk Seri ONG KA TING）,能源、供水及通讯部长达图·斯里·林敬益（Datuk Seri Dr. LIM KENG YAIK），新闻部长达图·扎伊努丁（Datuk ZAINUDDIN bin Maidin），工程部长达图·斯里·萨米·维鲁（Dato’ Seri SAMY VELLU）,自然资源及环境部长达图·斯里·哈吉·阿兹米（Dato’ Seri Haji AZMI bin Khalid），农业及农基产业部长坦·斯里·穆希丁·雅辛（Tan Sri MUHYIDDIN Yassin）,外交部长达图·斯里·赛义德·哈密德·阿尔巴(Datuk Seri SYED Hamid Albar)，交通部长达图·陈广才（Datuk CHAN KONG CHOY），人力资源部长达图·冯镇安（Datuk Dr. FONG CHAN ONN）,科技与创新部长达图·贾玛鲁丁·达图·穆罕默德·加吉斯（Dato’ Dr. JAMALUDIN bin Dato’ Mohd. Jarjis），艺术、文化及文化遗产部长达图·斯里·拉伊斯·亚蒂姆（Datuk Seri RAIS Yatim），妇女、家庭及社会发展部长达图·斯里·莎丽萨·阿卜杜尔·加利尔（Datuk Seri SHAHRIZAT Abdul Jalil），乡村和土地发展部长达图·阿卜杜尔·阿齐兹·山姆苏丁(Datuk ABDUL AZIZ Shamsuddin)，国内贸易及消费者事务部长达图·沙菲·阿博达尔（Datuk SHAFIE Apdal），种植业及原产品部长达图·陈华贵（Datuk Peter CHIN FAH KUI），青年及体育部长达图·阿扎丽娜·奥斯曼·赛义德（Datuk AZALINA Othman Said），卫生部长达图·蔡细历（Datuk Dr CHUA SOI LEK），联邦直辖区部长达图·哈吉·祖尔哈斯南·拉菲克（Dato’ Haji ZULHASNAN bin Rafique），旅游部长达图·东姑·阿德南（Datuk TENGKU ADNAN bin Tengku Mansor）。 司法机构 最高法院于1985年1月1日正式成立。1994年6月改名为联邦法院。设有马来亚高级法院（负责西马）和婆罗州高级法院（负责东马），各州设有地方法院和推事庭。另外还有特别军事法庭和伊斯兰教法庭。联邦法院首席大法官丹·斯里·达图·斯里·艾哈迈德·法鲁兹（Tan sri Dato’Sri AHMAD FAIRUZ），2003年3月就任。总检察长坦·斯里·阿卜杜尔·甘尼·帕泰尔（Tan Sri ABDUL GANI PATAIL），2002年1月1日就任。 政党 注册政党有40多个。由14个政党组成国民阵线联合执政。2001年5月，沙巴人民正义党解散，并入巫统。2002年1月，反对党沙巴团结党重返国民阵线。 国民阵线（National Front）：执政党联盟。1974年4月在马来亚联盟党的基础上扩大而成，成员党相对独立。大选时各党采用统一的竞选标志和宣言，候选人议席内部协商分配。强调发展经济，协调各政党利益，建立和平、稳定、繁荣、公正的社会。成员党包括马来民族统一机构，又称巫统（United Malays National Organization）、马来西亚华人公会（Malaysian Chinese Association）、马来西亚印度人国大党（Malaysian Indian Congress）、人民运动党（又称民政党，The People’s Movement Party）、马来西亚人民进步党（The People’s Progressive Party of Malaysia）、沙捞越土著保守统一党(Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu Sarawak)、沙捞越人民联合党（The Sarawak United People’s Party）、沙捞越国民党（The Sarawak National Party）、沙捞越达雅克族党（Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak）、沙巴自由民主党（The Liberal Democratic Party of Sabah）、沙巴进步党（The Sabah Progressive Party）、沙巴人民团结党（Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah）、沙巴民主党（Parti Demokratik Sabah）、沙巴团结党（Parti Bersatu Sabah）。国民阵线主席通常由巫统主席兼任，现任主席为巴达维。 主要执政党 马来民族统一机构（The United Malays National Organization,简称巫统，UMNO）：马来人政党。成立于1946年5月11日。1987年4月因党争而分裂，被法庭判为非法组织。1988年2月马哈蒂尔在原巫统基础上重组“新巫统”（The New United Malays National Organization）。1996年，从巫统分裂出去的“四六”精神党重返新巫统后再次还名为“巫统”。现有党员280万。巫统主席和署理主席代表国阵出任政府正、副总理。 马来西亚华人公会（Malaysian Chinese Association，简称马华公会，MCA）：最大的华人政党。1949年2月27日成立，原名马来亚华人公会，马来西亚成立后改为现名。党员103万。2003年5月，林良实和林亚礼辞去马华公会总会长和署理总会长职务，分别由黄家定和陈广才接任。 马来西亚印度人国大党（Malaysian Indian Congress，简称印度人国大党，MIC）：1946年8月2日成立。马来西亚印度、巴基斯坦族政党，旨在争取和维护两族利益。党员55万人。主席达图·斯里·萨米·维鲁。 主要反对党 伊斯兰教党（Parti Islam Malaysia）：原称泛马伊斯兰教党。以马来穆斯林为主的宗教政党，主要势力在北马。1951年8月23日成立，1973至1977年曾加入国民阵线。1959至1978年和1990年至今在吉兰丹州执政，1999至2003年在丁加奴州短期执政。1992年8月决定在吉兰丹州实施伊斯兰刑事法。党员80万。现任主席哈迪·阿旺（HADI AWANG）。 民主行动党（The Democratic Action Party）：以华人为主的多民族政党。1966年3月19日成立，前身是新加坡人民行动党在马来半岛的分部。本届国会最大反对党。主席林吉祥（LIM KIT SIANG）。 国民公正党(National Justice Party)：1999年4月4日成立，前身是1990年注册的伊斯兰教社会联盟。旨在联合各政党和非政府组织力量，抗衡政府，争取公正。2003年7月，国民公正党决定与反对党人民党合并为人民公正党。党主席为原公正党主席、前副总理安瓦尔夫人旺·阿兹莎（Wan Azizah），署理主席为原人民党主席赛义德·侯赛因（Syed Hussin）。 重要人物 端古·米赞·扎伊纳尔·阿比丁：最高元首。1962年出生于丁加奴州瓜拉丁加奴。曾赴澳大利亚墨尔本语言学院深造，1983年毕业于英格兰皇家军事学院，1988年获美国国际欧洲大学国际关系学士学位。1979年被封为丁加奴州摄政王，1990年曾任丁加奴州代理苏丹，1998年5月14日出任丁加奴州第十六任苏丹，1999年4月至2006年12月任马来西亚第十一任副最高元首。2006年12月13日就任第十三任最高元首，2007年4月26日登基。已婚，最高元首后潘斯里·罗齐塔（Puan Seri Rozita），育有两子一女。达图·斯里·阿卜杜拉·艾哈迈德·巴达维：总理兼财政部长和国内安全部长。1939年11月26日生于槟城。1964年毕业于马来亚大学，获伊斯兰研究学学士学位。1978年当选国会议员，历任联邦直辖区部政务次长和副部长、总理府不管部长、总理府部长、教育部长、国防部长等职。1991年3月任外交部长，1999年1月任副总理兼内政部长。2003年10月任总理兼财政部长和内政部长，2004年3月大选后连任总理并兼任财政部长和国内安全部长。现任马执政党联盟－国民阵线主席以及巫统主席。信奉伊斯兰教。个性内敛，风格平实。夫人恩东（Datin Edon Binti Datuk Mahmud）于2005年10月病逝。育有一子一女。达图·斯里·纳吉布·敦·拉扎克：副总理兼国防部长。马第二任总理拉扎克的长子。1953年7月24日生于彭亨州。获英国诺丁汉大学经济学士学位。1976年当选国会下议员，1978年任能源、电讯和邮电部副部长，是马历史上最年轻的下议员和副部长。此后历任彭亨州州务大臣、文化、青年和体育部长、国防部长、教育部长等职。2004年1月起任现职，2004年3月大选后连任。巫统资深领袖，曾连续多次当选巫统副主席，2004年1月起任巫统署理主席。夫人达汀·斯里·罗斯玛·曼苏尔（Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor），育有五名子女。 【经济】 上世纪70年代前，经济以农业为主，依赖初级产品出口。70年代以来不断调整产业结构，大力推行出口导向型经济，电子业、制造业、建筑业和服务业发展迅速。同时实施马来民族和原住民优先的“新经济政策”，旨在实现消除贫困、重组社会的目标。 80年代中期受世界经济衰退影响，经济一度下滑，后采取刺激外资和私人资本等措施，经济明显好转。1987年起，经济连续10年保持8％以上的高速增长。1991年提出“2020宏愿”的跨世纪发展战略，旨在于2020年将马建成发达国家。重视发展高科技，启动了“多媒体超级走廊”、“生物谷”等项目。近年来，通过稳定汇率、重组银行企业债务、扩大内需和出口等政策，经济取得较快增长。巴达维上任后，在保持经济持续稳定增长的同时，着力控制财政赤字，取消了一批耗资巨大的形象工程，将重点转向农业等基础产业建设，带动乡村发展。积极推动消费和投资，把私营经济作为国家经济增长的新支柱。鼓励发展旅游、教育事业，实现经济多元化。2006年4月，马政府第九个五年计划（2006~2010年）获得国会通过，其主题是“共同迈向卓越、辉煌和昌盛”，施政重点是降低财政赤字，加强人力资源开发，加大农业投入，扶持中小企业，推动旅游业发展。2006年马主要经济数字如下： 国内生产总值：5427.66亿令吉。 国内生产总值增长率：5.9％。 货币名称：令吉（Ringgit）。 汇率：1美元＝3.5 令吉（浮动汇率）。 通货膨胀率：3.6%。 失业率：3.8％。 资源 自然资源丰富。橡胶、棕油和胡椒的产量和出口量居世界前列。曾是世界产锡大国，但近年来产量逐年减少，2004年锡产量为3500吨。截至2005年1月1日，马来西亚石油和天然气总储量为194.9亿桶，可供分别开采19年和33年。此外还有铁、金、钨、煤、铝土、锰等矿产。盛产热带硬木。 工业 政府鼓励以本国原料为主的加工工业，重点发展电子、汽车、钢铁、石油化工和纺织品等。2006年制造业销售收入5113亿林吉特，增长11.2%，；就业人数108万。 矿业 以锡、石油和天然气开采为主，2005年矿业总产值估计为176.32亿林吉特，增长0.8%。近几年矿产品产量如下： 2004 2005 2006 石油（万桶／日） 76.23 70.4 70 液化天然气（万吨） 2072.9 2194.8 2300 锡（万吨） 0.27 0.29 （资料来源：马来西亚统计局） 农牧渔林业 耕地面积约414万公顷，占可耕地面积的30.6％。农业以经济作物为主，主要有油棕、橡胶、热带水果等。稻米自给率为60％。2005年农、牧、渔、林业总产值为221.42亿林吉特，增长4.8％，占国内生产总值的8.45%。近几年主要农、林产品产量如下：（单位：万吨）： 2004 2005 2006* 棕油 1345.0 1496.07 1588 橡胶 116.87 112.6 126 水稻 226.4 224 原木（千立方米） 22039 22119 21180 * 为估计数字。 （资料来源：马来西亚统计局） 盛产热带林木。渔业以近海捕捞为主，近年来深海捕捞和养殖业有所发展。2001年水产产量估计为122.58万吨，2002年同比减产1.7%。 服务业 范围广泛，包括水、电、交通、通讯、批发、零售、饭店、餐馆、金融、保险、不动产及政府部门提供的服务等。70年代以来，马政府不断调整产业结构，使服务业得到了迅速发展，成为国民经济发展的支柱性行业之一。2005年服务业增长6.5%，就业人数约535.36万，占全国就业人口的50.76％，是就业人数最多的行业。自1996年设立“多媒体超级走廊”以来，创造了超过4万个就业机会。截至2006年7月，多媒体超级走廊内1552家注册公司销售收入约60亿林吉特。近几年服务业产值及其占国内生产总值百分比如下： 2003 2004 2005 产值（亿令吉）1335.31 1415.34 1511.44 占国内生产总值 57.6% 57.1% 57.7% （资料来源：马来西亚统计局） 旅游业 国家第三大经济支柱,第二大外汇收入来源。1990年和1994年举办两届马来西亚观光年。拥有饭店约1878家,饭店入住率55.3%。主要旅游点有：吉隆坡、云顶、槟城、马六甲、浮罗交怡岛、刁曼岛、热浪岛、邦咯岛等。2006年赴马外国游客人数达1754万人次，同比增长6.8%，旅游外汇收入360.2亿林吉特。 交通运输 全国有良好的公路网，公路和铁路主要干线贯穿马来半岛南北，航空业亦较发达。 公路：2003年全国公路总长75893公里。截至2005年底，注册交通工具1480万辆。 铁路：2003年总长2267公里，主要贯穿马来半岛。 水运：内河运输不发达，海运80％以上依赖外航。共有各类船只1008艘，其中100吨位以上的注册商船508艘，注册总吨位175.5万吨；远洋船只50艘。共有19个港口。近年来大力发展远洋运输和港口建设，主要航运公司为马来西亚国际船务公司，主要港口有巴生、槟城、关丹、新山、古晋和纳闽等。 空运：民航主要由马来西亚航空公司经营，有飞机110余架，辟有航线113条，其中80条为国际航线。1996年11月，第二家航空公司——亚洲航空公司投入运营。全国共有机场37个，其中有5个国际机场：吉隆坡国际机场、槟城、浮罗交怡、哥打基那巴鲁和古晋。 财政金融 2006年9月，马政府向国会提交2007年度财政预算案，其中总收入1348亿林吉特，总支出1594亿林吉特，预算赤字占国内生产总值的比例从2006年的3.5%降至2007年的3.4%。近几年联邦政府财政收支情况如下（单位：亿令吉）： 2004 2005 2006 收入 993.97 1058.56 1184 支出 1193.11 1245.4 1368 盈余 -199.14 -186.84 184 （资料来源：马来西亚财政部2006/2007年度经济报告） 截至2006年底，外债总额512亿美元。截至2007年3月，马外汇储备为873亿美元，是短期外债的9.1倍，可支付进口8.1个月。 〔对外贸易〕现为世界第18大贸易国。2006年主要出口电子电器（占总出口的47.7%）、棕榈油(5.5％)、原油（5.4%）、木材产品(4.0％)、天然气（4.0%）和石油产品（3.2%），主要出口市场为：美国、新加坡、欧盟、日本和中国。主要进口机械运输设备、食品、烟草和燃料等。近年对外贸易情况如下（单位：亿林吉特）： 2004 2005 2006 总 额 8803.7 9677.98 10694.42 进口额 3996.5 4340.1 4804.93 出口额 4807.2 5337.88 5889.49 差 额 810.7 997.78 1084.56 （资料来源：马贸工部经济数字） 外国资本 大力吸引外资。2003年外国投资总计156亿林吉特，增长35%；2004年为131亿林吉特,下降16％；2005年为179亿令吉，增长37%；2006年为202亿林吉特，主要外资来源地为日本、荷兰、澳大利亚、美国和新加坡。 人民生活 根据马财政部统计，截至2003年8月，马个人存款占银行存款总额58%，年增长率6%。根据马能源、通讯和多媒体部统计，截至2004年6月，固定电话用户454.7万人；移动电话用户1239.8万人，城市和乡村中的固定电话拥有率为23%和12%，移动电话拥有率为53%和12%。截至2006年4月，马电脑用户420万人，互联网使用人数占40%。 根据马卫生部统计，2003年，全国平均每1377人1名医生，共有病床34089张。2006年人均寿命男性为71.8岁，女性为76.3岁，婴儿死亡率6.6‰。 【军事】 陆军的前身是1935年英国殖民地政府组建的马来兵团。1958年马从英国人手中接管原英殖民地海军辅助部队，1963年正式改为马来西亚皇家海军。1958年6月1日正式建立马来皇家空军。马最高元首是三军最高统帅。国防决策机构为国家安全委员会，总理任主席。武装部队总司令是最高指挥官。实行志愿兵役制，服役期为10年。 【文化教育】 马、华、印各族都有自己独特的文化。政府努力塑造以马来文化为基础的国家文化，推行“国民教育政策”，重视马来语的普及教育。华文教育比较普遍，有较完整的华文教育体系。 教育 实施小学免费教育。2003年、2004年教育经费开支约190.33亿林吉特和215.17亿林吉特，2005年教育经费预算为231.1亿林吉特。2003年，小学适龄儿童入学率为98.5%，10岁以上人口识字率为95％。每18名小学生一名教师，每16名中学生一名教师。全国有马来亚大学、国民大学等九所高等院校，近年来私立高等院校发展很快，有私立学院662间。2003年在校大学生29.05万人。全国共有470多家公共图书馆，藏书1130万册。 新闻出版 约有50份报纸，用8种文字出版。主要报纸有：马来文的《马来使者报》、《每日新闻》、《祖国报》；英文的《新海峡时报》、《星报》、《马来邮报》；华文的《光华日报》、《南洋商报》、《星洲日报》等。马来西亚国家新闻社（简称马新社）是一个半官方的通讯社。马来西亚广播电台属官办，建于1946年，拥有6个广播网，用马来语、英语、华语和泰米尔语广播。马来西亚之声电台建于1963年，用马来语、阿拉伯语、英语、印尼语、缅甸语、他加禄语和泰语等8种语言对外广播。马来西亚电视台属官办，建于1963年，设有两个频道，用马来语、英语、华语和泰米尔语播放。另外还有第三电视台（TV3）、城市电视（METRO VISION）和国民电视（NTV）三家私营电视台。近年开办了ASTRO卫星有线电视频道。 【外交】 奉行独立自主、中立、不结盟的外交政策。视东盟为外交政策基石，优先发展同东盟国家关系。重视发展同大国关系。系英联邦成员，与其他成员国交往较多。已同131个国家建交。 大力开展经济外交，积极推动南南合作，谴责西方国家贸易保护主义。1998年主办了第六次APEC领导人非正式会议。主张亚太经济合作组织（APEC）保持松散的经济论坛性质，反对其发展为地区性集团。重视东亚合作，倡导建立东亚共同体。1997年主办了首届东盟与中、日、韩（10+3）领导人非正式会议，2005年底主办首次东亚峰会。积极致力于东盟自由贸易区建设和湄公河盆地经济开发合作。 积极发展同伊斯兰国家和不结盟国家关系，关注伊斯兰事务。主张伊拉克战后重建应尊重其主权独立和领土完整，并符合伊人民意愿。在中东问题上，认为巴勒斯坦人民的斗争不是宗教对抗，而是捍卫领土主权，独立的巴勒斯坦国应得到国际社会承认。200 6年多次以伊斯兰国家会议组织和不结盟运动主席国身份召集会议，并致信联合国秘书长和各安理会常任理事国，寻求对伊拉克问题和中东问题公正合理的解决。 反对西方强权政治，反对利用“民主”、“人权”等问题干涉别国内政，主张维护联合国作为国际核心组织的地位，关注建立国际政治经济新秩序问题。2004年5月当选2005－2007年联合国人权委员会委员。2006年3月，第60届联大通过决议，决定成立联合国人权理事会，取代原来的人权委员会。马于同年5月当选人权理事会成员，任期3年（2006~2009年）。 支持国际反恐合作，强调反恐应解决恐怖主义产生的根源，否定伊斯兰与恐怖主义的必然联系，推动宗教和文明间对话。 在朝核问题上，认为拥有核武器的朝鲜将危及东北亚乃至全世界的安全，呼吁有关各方保持克制，赞赏六方会谈为解决朝核问题发挥的积极作用。 与我国的双边关系： 一、双边政治关系回顾 两国于1974年5月31日正式建立外交关系。建交后，两国关系总体发展顺利。进入90年代，中马关系开始进入新的发展阶段，双方在政治、经济、文化等各个领域的友好交流与合作全面展开，并取得丰硕成果。 两国高层互访和接触频繁。江泽民主席（1994年）、李鹏总理（1990、1997年）、朱镕基总理（1999年）、李瑞环政协主席（1995年）、胡锦涛副主席（2002年）、姜春云副委员长（2002年）、李岚清副总理（2003年）等分别访马。马前三任最高元首阿兹兰（1990、1991年）、贾阿法（1997年）和萨拉赫丁（2001年）先后访华。前总理马哈蒂尔和下议长扎希尔在职期间也多次访华。 2004年1月，吴邦国委员长会见来华出席亚太议会论坛年会的马下议长扎希尔；4月，马前总理马哈蒂尔访华并出席博鳌亚洲论坛年会；5月，巴达维总理正式访华并出席两国建交30周年庆祝活动。双方发表《联合公报》，一致同意推进两国战略性合作。10月，唐家璇国务委员访马，分别会见了巴达维总理和纳吉布副总理。11月，温家宝总理在老挝出席中国与东盟领导人系列会议期间会见了巴达维总理。 2004年12月26日，印度洋发生强烈地震海啸灾难，马北部部分地区遭受较大损失。灾情发生后，胡锦涛主席和温家宝总理分别致电马最高元首西拉杰丁和总理巴达维表示慰问。中国政府和人民还向马提供了紧急救灾援助。 2005年3月，马最高元首西拉杰丁对华进行国事访问。4月，全国政协主席贾庆林在海南会见了来华出席博鳌亚洲论坛年会的马总理巴达维。5月，吴邦国委员长对马进行正式友好访问。9月，纳吉布副总理访华；12月，温家宝总理对马来西亚进行正式访问，双方发表了《联合公报》。 2006年3月，政协主席贾庆林访马。10月，巴达维总理赴南宁出席纪念中国-东盟建立对话伙伴关系15周年峰会，温总理予以会见。 两国外交部于1991年4月建立磋商制度，迄今已举行10轮磋商。中方在马来西亚古晋设有总领馆，马方在中国上海、广州、昆明和香港设有总领馆。 二、双边贸易关系和经济技术合作 两国签有《避免双重征税协定》、《贸易协定》、《投资保护协定》、《海运协定》、《民用航空运输协定》等10余项经贸合作协议。1988年成立经贸联委会，迄已举行7次会议。2002年4月成立中马双边商业理事会。 2006年两国贸易额371.12亿美元，同比增长20.9%。其中中方出口135.37亿美元；进口235.75亿美元。马来西亚是中国第八大贸易伙伴，也是中国在东盟国家中第二大贸易伙伴。我自马进口主要商品有集成电路、计算机及其零部件、棕油和塑料制品等；我向马出口主要商品有计算机及其零部件、集成电路、服装和纺织品等。 马是我重要海外劳务承包市场。2003年9月，双方签署《双边劳务合作谅解备忘录》，但迄未实施。2006年，我企业累计在马签订承包工程及劳务合同341个，新签合同金额11.3亿美元，完成营业额4.41亿美元 两国金融合作成效显著。2000年，中国银行和马来亚银行分别在吉隆坡和上海互设分行。2002年10月，中国人民银行与马来西亚国家银行签署了双边货币互换协议。 三、其它领域的交往与合作 两国在科技、教育、文化、军事等领域的交流与合作顺利发展。1992年签署《科技合作协定》，成立科技联委会，迄已举行3次会议。双方还签署了《广播电视节目合作和交流协定》（1992年），《促进中马体育交流、提高体育水平的谅解备忘录》（1993年），《教育交流谅解备忘录》（1997年），《文化合作协定》（1999年），《中马航空合作谅解备忘录》（2002年），《空间合作及和平利用外层空间的协定》（2003年），《在外交和国际关系教育领域合作谅解备忘录》（2004年）等合作协议。2005年，双方签署了《卫生合作谅解备忘录》，并续签了《教育合作谅解备忘录》。目前我在马留学生已达万人，马赴华留学生近千人。我新华社、中新社在吉隆坡设立分社，中央电视台4套和9套节目在马落地，《人民日报》海外版在马出版发行。江苏省与马六甲州、厦门市与槟城市分别结为友好省市。 双方签署了《旅游合作谅解备忘录》。2006年马来华游客91万人次，我首站访马游客43.5万人次，我已成为马海外主要客源国之一。 1995年，两国互设武官处，军事交往增多，两国海军军舰多次互访。2002年，中央军委副主席、国务委员兼国防部长迟浩田过境马来西亚，与马国防部长纳吉布举行会晤。2003年9月，中央军委委员、总参谋长梁光烈访马。2004年7月，中央军委副主席郭伯雄过境访问马来西亚，与马副总理兼国防部长纳吉布会晤。马海军军舰访问上海。9月，马派员来华观摩我军事演习。2005年9月，马副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访华期间两国签署了《防务合作谅解备忘录》。12月，中方派团参加了马国际海空展。我军事科学院代表团访马。2006年4月，中央军委副主席、国务委员兼国防部长曹刚川访马。5月，总参谋长助理章沁生少将率团访马，双方举行了首次防务磋商。 四、双边关系中的其他问题 两国对中国南沙群岛部分岛礁的归属问题有争议。双方多次表示，将共同致力于维护南海地区的和平与稳定，并根据包括1982年《联合国海洋法公约》在内的公认的国际法准则，积极寻求以双边友好协商和谈判的方式解决有关争议。双方还表示愿积极落实《南海各方行为宣言》的后续行动。 五、重要双边文件 1974年5月，马来西亚总理拉扎克访华，周恩来总理与其签署《中华人民共和国政府和马来西亚政府关于两国建立外交关系的联合公报》。 1999年5月，马来西亚外长赛义德·哈密德访华，唐家璇外长与其签署《中华人民共和国政府和马来西亚政府关于未来双边合作框架的联合声明》。 2005年12月，温家宝总理访问马来西亚，与马来西亚总理巴达维发表《中华人民共和国和马来西亚联合公报》。 中国驻马来西亚大使：程永华。馆址：马来西亚吉隆坡安邦路229号(229,Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur，Malaysia)。办公室电话：603-21428495；21441966。领事部电话：21428585，传真：21414552。商务处电话：42513555，传真：42513233。电子信箱：CN@ TM.NET.MY 中国驻古晋总领事：谢福根。馆址：马来西亚沙捞越州古晋市道刚花园Lot3716-3719。电话：6-082-453344；570815。传真：570814。电子信箱：ZHICUN @ TM.NET.MY. 马来西亚驻华大使：达图·赛义德·诺尔扎曼（DATO' SYED NORULZAMAN BIN SYED KAMARULZAMAN）。馆址：北京朝阳区亮马河北街2号。电话：65322531，传真：65325032。商务处电话：84515109，传真：84515110。签证处电话：65326544，传真：65326544。电子信箱：mwbjing @95777.com 同东盟国家的关系 马是东盟重要成员，同其他东盟国家政治、经济、文化关系密切，高层互访频繁，并注意在重大国际地区问题上相互协调立场。马是东盟内部贸易的重要一员，2005年与其他东盟国家的贸易额为2462亿林吉特，占其对外贸易总额25.44％（马方统计数据，下同）。重视地区安全合作。2004年7月开始与印尼、新加坡在马六甲海峡进行协同巡逻，共同打击海盗、走私和恐怖活动。 与印尼同为穆斯林人口占多数的国家，相互关系十分密切。2005年马印尼双边贸易额291.5亿林吉特，占马外贸总额的3.01%。两国在西巴丹和利吉丹两岛主权归属问题上存在争议。2002年海牙国际法院裁定马对上述两岛拥有主权，印尼对此表示接受。2005年1月，巴达维总理在雅加达出席东盟地震和海啸灾后问题领导人特别会议期间会见苏希洛诺总统，并向印尼提供了救灾援助；4月，巴达维总理出席在印尼举行的2005年亚非峰会和万隆会议50周年纪念活动。2006年1月，巴达维总理在苏门答腊与印尼总统苏希洛举行年度磋商；最高元首西拉杰丁访问印尼。3月，印尼国会议长阿贡拉克索访马。8月，印尼总统苏希洛访马。12月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访问印尼。 与新加坡关系密切。新是马第二大贸易伙伴和第二大外资来源地。2005年马新双边贸易额1341.6亿林吉特，占马外贸总额的13.86%。两国在马向新开放领空及长期供水、新在柔佛海峡实施填海工程、白礁岛主权归属、马新大桥、马在新铁路关卡迁移等问题上存在分歧。巴达维就任总理后，积极通过对话协商解决问题，两国关系得到改善。2005年3月，吴作栋国务资政与巴达维总理就双边关系问题再次在马举行会谈。4月，纳丹总统访马。同月，两国就新在柔佛海峡填海问题签署协议。6月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布出席在新加坡举行的亚洲安全会议。9月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布出席在新加坡举行的“2005年度东盟100领袖论坛”并演讲。11月，新加坡副总理兼国家安全统筹部长贾古玛访马。2006年1月，最高元首西拉杰丁访新。 与泰国关系良好。2005年马泰双边贸易额516.1亿林吉特，占马外贸总额的5.33%。2006年7月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布赴泰国出席马泰边境委员会会议。 与菲律宾关系总体良好，但双方在沙巴领土主权问题上存在争议。两国关系也曾因马“安瓦尔事件”、菲在马非法移民等问题受到过影响。近年来，马为菲政府和摩洛伊斯兰解放阵线和谈积极提供协助。2005年3月，菲外长罗慕洛访马。 与文莱同文同种同宗教，双方关系十分密切。两国有林梦主权归属和专属经济区重叠问题，同意协商解决。2005年8月，巴达维总理访问文莱。2006年8月，巴达维总理与文莱苏丹哈桑纳尔举行第十届马文双边会议。11月，最高元首西拉杰丁访文。 重视发展同印支国家关系。越、老、缅、柬加入东盟后，马与四国往来有所增多，并逐步扩大在印支半岛的投资和贸易。2005年12月，巴达维总理与来马出席东盟系列峰会的缅甸总理梭温举行双边会谈，敦促缅政府加快国内民主进程。2006年3月，柬埔寨国王西哈莫尼访马。11月，老挝总理波松访马。 同英国的关系 马曾是英国殖民地，后加入英联邦，并与英同为“五国联防安排”成员，双方关系密切。80年代初马收购英资企业导致两国关系趋于冷淡，后虽有所回升，但仍时有磨擦。1995至1996年间，马哈蒂尔总理三度访英，两国关系有了较大改善。2005年3月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访英。9月，巴达维总理赴英国伦敦出席大马全球促销巡回发展会并发表演讲。2006年7月，副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访英。 同日本的关系 两国经贸关系密切。日是马第一大外资来源地和主要贸易伙伴，也是向马提供贷款最多的国家之一。上世纪80年代，马哈蒂尔总理就提出向日本学习的“向东看”政策，旨在通过引进日本的资金、技术和管理，加快马来西亚的经济建设。2005年，双边贸易额1129亿林吉特，占马外贸总额的11.67％。2005年5月，巴达维总理访日，双方同意于年底正式签署自由贸易协定。12月，马与日本签署两国《经济伙伴关系协议》，成为继新加坡和墨西哥之后第3个与日本签署此类协议的国家。2006年5月，巴达维总理访日。6月，日本天皇明仁访马；副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访日。 同美国的关系 美近年来一直是马最大的贸易伙伴和主要外来投资者。2005年，马美双边贸易额1609.5亿林吉特，占马外贸总额的16.63％。1999至2003年6月，美对马协议投资额累计为50.74亿美元。两国在“民主”、“人权”等问题上矛盾较深，双边关系曾因“安瓦尔事件”受到一定影响。“9·11”事件后，美出于国际反恐合作的需要，重视马在伊斯兰国家中的特殊作用，两国政治关系有所改善，反恐合作加强。 同其他国家的关系 2006年1月，沙特国王阿卜杜拉访马。2月，巴达维总理访问澳大利亚。3月，伊拉总统内贾德访马。5月，巴达维总理访问牙买加。6月，哈萨克斯坦总统纳扎尔巴耶夫访马；副总理兼国防部长纳吉布访问印度。7月，东帝汶总理奥尔塔访马。8月，委内瑞拉总统查韦斯访马。9月，巴达维总理赴芬兰出席第6届亚欧会议，赴古巴出席第14届不结盟运动峰会，赴美国出席第61届联大。11月，巴达维总理访问巴基斯坦。12月，巴达维总理访问委内瑞拉。 2020宏愿 马来西亚第四任首相马哈迪医生提出了2020国家宏愿的计划。马来西亚要在2020年发展为先进国，他希望人民们都能同心协力，不分种族的达成这宏愿。 【马来西亚的旅游资源】 沙巴可以是马来西亚深藏未露的绝妙旅游地，见识了沙巴，你就会惊讶马来西亚丰富的旅游资源. 世外桃源邦咯岛(PangkorLaut) 寻找小丑鱼。 在马来西亚的邦咯岛(PangkorLaut)上，你只要潜入蔚蓝的海里，慢慢靠近大片的白色珊瑚和色彩斑斓的海葵，尼莫和他的朋友就会热情地欢迎你。 生活在马来西亚婆罗洲的普南族是一个神秘的民族，他们生活在热带雨林里，保持着许多有趣的风俗传统。 马来西亚的风格就像这儿的天气——热情。无论是看到一张张友善的笑脸，听到一句句浓浓的马来音普通话“你好！” 古晋是马来西亚沙捞越的首府。在马来语中，“古晋”就是“猫”，因此这座城市也被称为“猫城”。据，这里是世界上唯一崇拜猫的城市。 中国人来，马来西亚不是个陌生的国度。尽管是异域，但随处可见的华文招牌以及通用的广州话，会让来自广东的我们产生了在省内某个都市观光的错觉。 槟城，当年英国商船来此躲避风浪的时候，他们给这个美丽的海岛起名为乔治市，华人则称之为槟榔屿。这里最让人着迷的是各种文化的交融聚集，既有南海姑娘的轻柔韵律，也有安娜与国王的感伤情怀。即使你没有出境游的经验，即使你外语只会yes，bye-bye，thankyou，槟城依然。 沙捞越是马来西亚最大的州，分散着27种部落民族，是一个多文化的地域。在沙捞越，每公顷的树林种类比整个北美洲还多，一棵参天大树上有上千种昆虫。 吉隆坡的夜生活充满动感，到处是多姿多彩的娱乐，爵士乐、乡谣和西方音乐萦绕酒吧、的士高舞厅，一派大都会的繁华景象.。吉隆坡住宿选择相当多，高档的诸如马来王宫风格的伊思塔那大饭店，机场附近的高尔夫休假区等，主要供游客和商务客人使用。在吉隆坡可以品尝到世界各地的名菜，除了马来菜、中国菜、印度大餐、西餐外，还有巴基斯坦餐饮和日本料理。吉隆坡各种商品荟萃，从古董到最具当地特色的手工艺品，从世界名牌时装到物美价廉的电子产品…… 云顶(Genting Highlands)高原是马来西亚新开发的旅游和避暑胜地，位于鼓亨州西南吉保山脉中段东坡，吉隆坡东北约50公里处. 在首都吉隆坡，最引人注目的建筑就是位于市中心丹也大楼面的国家清真寺(NatlonalMosque)，以独特的现代设计表达出传统回教的艺术，装饰和设计都十分精美，最大特色是伞形的屋顶，象征一个独立国家的抱负. 吉隆坡是世界上节假日最多的地区之一。在马来西亚，伊斯兰教的节日是当地进行重大庆典活动的日子，圣诞节也是全国性的节假日，一年一度的中国春节在这里更是热闹非凡. 吉隆坡是一个硕大无比的“世界建筑博览馆”，外形别致风格各异的建筑遍布全城. 马来西亚的旅游资源十分丰富，阳光充足，气候宜人 马来西亚是个以农立国的民族，因此维持着许多原始信仰，特别是各民族浓厚的宗教色彩。其宗教融合了伊斯兰教、印度教、佛教，其中以印度教影响尤为深远。由于多民族的长期共同生活，形成一种多元的文化特色. 【马来西亚旅游景点】 马门甲 马门甲是马来西亚历史最悠久的古城，马六甲州的首府。它位于马六甲海峡北岸，马六甲河穿城而过。该城始建于1403年，曾是满刺加王国的都城。从16世纪起，历受葡萄牙、荷兰、英国的殖民统治。数百年来，华人、印度人、阿拉伯人、暹罗人及爪哇人相继来到马六甲，经过长期的交流，语言、宗教、风俗习惯等汇成特有的文化风貌。这里有中国式的住宅，荷兰式的红色楼房和葡萄牙式的村落。市内古代修建的街道，至今依然保存较好，街道曲折狭窄，屋宇参差多样，很多住房的墙上镶着图案精美的瓷砖，木门上装着瑞狮门扣，窗上镶龙嵌凤，古色古香，处处显示出马六甲这个历史古都的独特风貌。 青云亭 青云亭是马来西亚最古老的中国庙宇，位于马六甲市西南，始建于1645年，后经重新装修，成为一座用马来西亚楠木建造的木结构庙宇。门口的匾额上写着“南海飞来”四个大字。庙内主要供奉的是观音菩萨，因此也称“观音亭”。 青云亭是优美的中国式建筑的典范，庙堂里陈设的木雕和漆器，全是从中国运来的精品。寺内只有一块石碑，上面铭刻着纪念中国明代著名的航海家、三保太监郑和于1406年访问马六甲的事迹。郑和是到达马六甲最早的中国人。 寺内香火甚盛。庙门口有一金色的狮子，周身金光耀眼，只有狮子的头顶部，金色已脱落，原来信徒们认为走过狮子身旁，抚摸它们的头顶，会带来意想不到的好运。 中国山 中国山又名三保山，是马来西亚为纪念中国明朝三保太监郑和而命名的。此山位于马六甲市郊。关于中国山，流传着“一位中国公主和一口神奇的井”的故事。相传在15世纪60年代，马六甲的统治者是一个年 轻而聪明过人的苏丹，曼斯国王。有一天，一艘中国船驶抵马六甲，船的内部到处插满了金针，船长给苏丹送去一封信，声称他奉中国天子之命诏告苏丹 “每一根金针代表我的一个臣民，要是你能数得清有多少根，你就会知道我的权力有多大。”苏丹接到信后，派了一艘船去送回信，船上装了好几袋谷米，信中道“要是你能数得清这艘船上的谷米，你就能准确地猜到我有多少臣民，也就会知道我的权力有多大。” 荷兰红屋 跨越马六甲河桥，到了河的东岸，映入眼帘的是一个整洁的广场，广场上有一座红色的钟塔和维多利亚时代所建的喷水池。广场周围都是荷兰式的红色建筑物。面广场最大的一座建筑物就是古老的荷兰式惹兰叻参红屋。它建于17世纪，是东南亚地区现存的最古老的荷兰式建筑物。300多年来，它一直是政府机关所在地，直至1980年才改为马六甲博物馆。荷兰式惹兰叻参红屋有厚厚的红砖墙，笨重的硬木门，门前是宽阔的石级。馆内保留了马六甲各个时期的历史遗物，包括荷兰古代兵器，葡萄牙人16世纪以来的服装，马来人婚嫁服饰，金、银、珠宝手工艺品以及在马六甲港口停泊的各类古代船只的图片等。馆内还收藏有稀有的古代钱币和邮票。 葡萄牙城山 在马六甲市西南，接近马六甲河口，有一座山，是马六甲苏丹拜里米苏拉将中国明成祖赠送的金龙文笺勒石树碑之处，明成祖曾封此山为“镇国山”，后名圣保罗山。山的东南麓有一座“没有墙的城门”，那是马来西业历史遗迹。 Malaysia as a unified state did not exist until 1963. Previously, a set of colonies were established by the United Kingdom from the late eighteenth century, and the western half of modern Malaysia was composed of several separate kingdoms. This group of colonies was known as British Malaya until its dissolution in 1946, when it was reorganized as the Federation of Malaya and later recognized as an independent nation in 1957. Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya joined to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963. The early years of the new union were marred by an armed conflict with Indonesia and the expulsion of Singapore. The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century. With a GDP per capita standing at USD13,000, it has, from time to time, been considered a newly industrialized country. As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy. At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world. Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy. The Malays form the majority of the population. Some Malays are of Arab descent and there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation. The Malay language is the official language. Malay was originally written in Jawi, based on Arabic script, but nowadays, the Roman alphabet (Rumi) is more often used. Malaysia is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and participates in many international organizations such as the United Nations. As a former British colony, it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is also a member of the Developing 8 Countries. The name "Malaysia" was adopted in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak formed a 14-state federation. However the name itself had been vaguely used to refer to areas in Southeast Asia prior to that. A map published in 1914 in Chicago has the word Malaysia printed on it referring to certain territories within the Malay Archipelago. The Philippines once contemplated naming their state "Malaysia", but Malaysia adopted the name first in 1963 before the Philippines could act further on the matter. Other names were contemplated for the 1963 federation. Among them was Langkasuka (Langkasuka was an old kingdom located at the upper section of the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium of the common era). Even farther back into history, the English ethnologist George Samuel Windsor Earl in volume IV of Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1850 proposed to name the islands of Indonesia as Melayunesia or Indunesia though he favored the former. History Prehistory Archaeological remains have been found throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The Semang have a deep ancestry within the Malay Peninsula, dating to the initial settlement from Africa over 50,000 years ago. The Senoi appear to be a composite group, with approximately half of the maternal lineages tracing back to the ancestors of the Semang and about half to Indochina. This is in agreement with the suggestion that they represent the descendants of early Austronesian speaking agriculturalists, who brought both their language and their technology to the southern part of the peninsula approximately 5,000 years ago and coalesced with the indigenous population. The Aboriginal Malays are more diverse, and although they show some connections with island Southeast Asia, some also have an ancestry in Indochina around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, followed by an early-Holocene dispersal through the Malay Peninsula into island Southeast Asia. Early history Ptolemy showed the Malay Peninsula on his early map with a label that translates as "Golden Chersonese", the Straits of Malacca were referred to as "Sinus Sabaricus". From the mid to the late first millennium, much of the Peninsula as well as the Malay Archipelago were under the influence of Srivijaya. There were numerous Malay kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd century CE—as many as 30 according to Chinese sources. Kedah—known as Kedaram, Cheh-Cha (according to I-Ching) or Kataha, in ancient Pallava or Sanskrit—was in the direct route of invasions of Indian traders and kings. Rajendra Chola, Tamil Emperor who is now thought to have laid Kota Gelanggi to waste, put Kedah to heel in 1025 but his successor, Vir Rajendra Chola, had to put down a Kedah rebellion to overthrow the invaders. The coming of the Chola reduced the majesty of Srivijaya which had exerted influence over Kedah and Pattani and even as far as Ligor. The Buddhist kingdom of Ligor took control of Kedah shortly after, and its King Chandrabhanu used it as a base to attack Sri Lanka in the 11th century, an event noted in a stone inscription in Nagapattinum in Tamil Nadu and in the Sri Lankan chronicles, Mahavamsa. During the first millennium, the people of the Malay Peninsula adopted Hinduism and Buddhism and the use of the Sanskrit language until they eventually converted to Islam. A Famosa in Malacca. It was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century.There are reports of other areas older than Kedah—the ancient kingdom of Gangga Negara, around Beruas in Perak, for instance, pushes Malaysian history even further into antiquity. If that is not enough, a Tamil poem, Pattinapillai, of the second century CE, describes goods from Kadaram heaped in the broad streets of the Chola capital. A seventh century Sanskrit drama, Kaumudhimahotsva, refers to Kedah as Kataha-nagari. The Agnipurana also mentions a territory known as Anda-Kataha with one of its boundaries delineated by a peak, which scholars believe is Gunung Jerai. Stories from the Katasaritasagaram describe the elegance of life in Kataha. Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur houses the High Court of Malaya and the Trade Court. Kuala Lumpur was the capital of the Federated Malay States and is the current Malaysian capital.In the early 15th century, the Malacca Sultanate was established under a dynasty founded by Parameswara or Sultan Iskandar Shah, a prince from Palembang with bloodline related to the royal house of Srivijaya, who fled from Temasek (now Singapore). Parameswara decided to establish his kingdom in Malacca after witnessing an astonishing incident where a white mouse deer kicked one of his hunting dogs into a nearby river. He took this show of bravery by the mouse deer as a good sign and named his kingdom "Melaka" after the tree under which he was resting at the time. At its height, the sultanate controlled the areas which are now Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand (Patani), and the eastern coast of Sumatra. It existed for more than a century, and within that time period Islam spread to most of the Malay Archipelago. Malacca was the foremost trading port at the time in Southeast Asia. The first evidence of Islam in the Malay Peninsula dates from the 14th century in Terengganu, but according to the Kedah Annals, the 9th sultan of Kedah, Maharaja Derbar Raja, converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. In 1511, Malacca was conquered by Portugal, which established a colony there. The sons of the last Sultan of Malacca established two sultanates elsewhere in the peninsula—the Sultanate of Perak to the north, and the Sultanate of Johor (originally a continuation of the old Malacca sultanate) to the south. After the fall of Malacca, three nations struggled for the control of Malacca Strait: the Portuguese (in Malacca), the Sultanate of Johor, and the Sultanate of Aceh. This conflict went on until 1641, when the Dutch (allied to the Sultanate of Johor) gained control of Malacca. British arrival Britain established its first colony in the Malay peninsula in 1786, with the lease of the island of Penang to the British East India Company by the Sultan of Kedah. In 1824, the British took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 which divided the Malay Archipelago between Britain and the Netherlands, with Malaya in the British zone. In 1826, Britain established the crown colony of the Straits Settlements, uniting its three possessions in Malaya: Penang, Malacca and Singapore. The Straits Settlements were administered under the East India Company in Kolkata until 1867, when they were transferred to the Colonial Office in London. During the late 19th century, many Malay states decided to obtain British help in settling their internal conflicts. The commercial importance of tin mining in the Malay states to merchants in the Straits Settlements led to British government intervention in the tin-producing states in the Malay Peninsula. British gunboat diplomacy was employed to bring about a peaceful resolution to civil disturbances caused by Chinese gangsters and Malay gangsters, and the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 paved the way for the expansion of British influence in Malaya. By the turn of the 20th century, the states of Pahang, Selangor, Perak, and Negeri Sembilan, known together as the Federated Malay States (not to be confused with the Federation of Malaya), were under the de facto control of British Residents appointed to advise the Malay rulers. The British were "advisers" in name, but in reality they exercised substantial influence over the Malay rulers. Malaysia Day celebration in 1963. (Majulah Malaysia means "Onwards Malaysia")The remaining five states in the peninsula, known as the Unfederated Malay States, while not directly under rule from London, also accepted British advisers around the turn of the 20th century. Of these, the four northern states of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu had previously been under Siamese control. The other unfederated state, Johor, was the only state which managed to preserve its independence throughout most of the 19th century. Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and Queen Victoria were personal acquaintances, and recognized each other as equals. It was not until 1914 that Sultan Abu Bakar's successor, Sultan Ibrahim accepted a British adviser. On the island of Borneo, Sabah was governed as the crown colony of British North Borneo, while Sarawak was acquired from Brunei as the personal kingdom of the Brooke family, who ruled as White Rajahs. Following the Japanese Invasion of Malaya its occupation during World War II, popular support for independence grew. Post-war British plans to unite the administration of Malaya under a single crown colony called the Malayan Union foundered on strong opposition from the Malays, who opposed the emasculation of the Malay rulers and the granting of citizenship to the ethnic Chinese. The Malayan Union, established in 1946 and consisting of all the British possessions in Malaya with the exception of Singapore, was dissolved in 1948 and replaced by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection. During this time, rebels under the leadership of the Malayan Communist Party launched guerrilla operations designed to force the British out of Malaya. The Malayan Emergency, as it was known, lasted from 1948 to 1960, and involved a long anti-insurgency campaign by Commonwealth troops in Malaya. Although the insurgency quickly stopped there was still a presence of Commonwealth troops, with the backdrop of the Cold War. Against this backdrop, independence for the Federation within the Commonwealth was granted on 31 August 1957. Post independence In 1963, Malaya along with the then-British crown colonies of Sabah (British North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore, formed Malaysia. The Sultanate of Brunei, though initially expressing interest in joining the Federation, withdrew from the planned merger due to opposition from certain segments of its population as well as arguments over the payment of oil royalties and the status of the Sultan in the planned merger. Kuala Lumpur, the capital and largest city in MalaysiaThe early years of independence were marred by conflict with Indonesia (Konfrontasi) over the formation of Malaysia, Singapore's eventual exit in 1965, and racial strife in the form of racial riots in 1969. The Philippines also made an active claim on Sabah in that period based upon the Sultanate of Brunei's cession of its north-east territories to the Sulu Sultanate in 1704. The claim is still ongoing. After the 13 May racial riots of 1969, the controversial New Economic Policy—intended to increase proportionately the share of the economic pie of the bumiputras ("indigenous people", which includes the majority Malays, but not always the indigenous population) as compared to other ethnic groups—was launched by Prime Minister Abdul Razak. Malaysia has since maintained a delicate ethno-political balance, with a system of government that has attempted to combine overall economic development with political and economic policies that promote equitable participation of all races. Between the 1980s and the mid 1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth under the premiership of Mahathir bin Mohamad. The period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such as computers and consumer electronics. It was during this period, too, that the physical landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest building in the world), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the Sepang F1 Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the Bakun hydroelectric dam and Putrajaya, a new federal administrative capital. In the late 1990s, Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis as well as political unrest caused by the sacking of the deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In 2003, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, retired in favour of his deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. On November 2007 Malaysia was rocked by two anti-government rallies. The 2007 Bersih Rally numbering 40,000 strong was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 10 campaigning for electoral reform. It was precipitated by allegations of corruption and discrepancies in the Malaysian election system that heavily favor the ruling political party, Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957. The 2007 HINDRAF rally was held in Kuala Lumpur on 25 November. The rally organizer, the Hindu Rights Action Force, had called the protest over alleged discriminatory policies which favour ethnic Malays. The crowd was estimated to be between 5,000 to 30,000. In both cases the government and police were heavy handed and tried to prevent the gatherings from taking place. Government and politics The Parliament building, symbol of democracy in Malaysia. Malaysia PM's office, PutrajayaMalaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditary Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection. The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. In practice however, more power is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance). Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral parliament consists of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (literally the "Chamber of the People") and the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara (literally the "Chamber of the Nation"). The 222-member House of Representatives are elected from single-member constituencies that are drawn based on population for a maximum term of five years. All 70 Senators sit for three-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, two representing the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, one each from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, and 40 are appointed by the king. Besides the Parliament at the federal level, each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber (Malay: Dewan Undangan Negeri) whose members are elected from single-member constituencies. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2008. The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body. State governments are led by Chief Ministers (Menteri Besar in Malay states or Ketua Menteri in states without hereditary rulers), who is a state assembly member from the majority party in the Dewan Undangan Negeri. In each of the states with a hereditary ruler, the Chief Minister is required to be a Malay Muslim, although this rule is subject the rulers' discretions. Citizenship Most Malaysians are granted citizenship by lex soli. All Malaysians are Federal citizens with no formal citizenships within the individual states, except for the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan in East Malaysia, where state citizenship is a privilege and distinguishable from the Peninsula. Every citizen is issued a biometric smart chip identity card, known as MyKad, at the age of 12, and must carry the card at all times. A citizen is required to present his or her identity card to the police, or in the case of an emergency, to any military personnel, to be identified. If the card cannot be produced immediately, the person technically has 24 hours under the law to produce it at the nearest police station. Administrative divisions Map of the states of MalaysiaMain article: States of Malaysia Administratively, Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in Peninsular Malaysia and 2 in Malaysian Borneo) and 3 federal territories. Geography Map of Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo)The two distinct parts of Malaysia, separated from each other by the South China Sea, share a largely similar landscape in that both West and East Malaysia feature coastal plains rising to often densely forested hills and mountains, the highest of which is Mount Kinabalu at 4,095.2 metres (13,435.7 ft) on the island of Borneo. The local climate is equatorial and characterized by the annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons. Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor, is the southernmost tip of continental Asia. The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world. Putrajaya is the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of Malaysia, aimed in part to ease growing congestion within Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur remains the seat of parliament, as well as the commercial and financial capital of the country. Other major cities include George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Alor Star, Malacca Town, and Klang. Natural resources Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is one of the top exporters of natural rubber and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapple and tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of foreign exchange. Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial contribution to the economy during the nineteenth century. Today, an estimated 59% of Malaysia remains forested. The rapid expansion of the timber industry, particularly after the 1960s, has brought about a serious erosion problem in the country's forest resources. However, in line with the Government's commitment to protect the environment and the ecological system, forestry resources are being managed on a sustainable basis and accordingly the rate of tree felling has been on the decline. In addition, substantial areas are being silviculturally treated and reforestation of degraded forest land is also being carried out. The Malaysian government provide plans for the enrichment of some 312.30 square kilometers (120.5 sq mi) of land with rattan under natural forest conditions and in rubber plantations as an inter crop. To further enrich forest resources, fast-growing timber species such as meranti tembaga, merawan and sesenduk are also being planted. At the same time, the cultivation of high-value trees like teak and other trees for pulp and paper are also encouraged. Rubber, once the mainstay of the Malaysian economy, has been largely replaced by oil palm as Malaysia's leading agricultural export. Tin and petroleum are the two main mineral resources that are of major significance in the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once the world's largest producer of tin until the collapse of the tin market in the early 1980s. In the 19th and 20th century, tin played a predominant role in the Malaysian economy. It was only in 1972 that petroleum and natural gas took over from tin as the mainstay of the mineral extraction sector. Meanwhile, the contribution by tin has declined. Petroleum and natural gas discoveries in oil fields off Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu have contributed much to the Malaysian economy. Other minerals of some importance or significance include copper, bauxite, iron-ore and coal together with industrial minerals like clay, kaolin, silica, limestone, barite, phosphates and dimension stones such as granite as well as marble blocks and slabs. Small quantities of gold are produced. In 2004, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Mustapa Mohamed, revealed that Malaysia's oil reserves stood at 4.84 billion barrels while natural gas reserves increased to 89 trillion cubic feet (2,500 km³). This was an increase of 7.2%. As of January 1, 2007, Petronas reported that oil and gas reserve in Malaysia amounted to 20.18 billion barrels equivalent. The government estimates that at current production rates Malaysia will be able to produce oil up to 18 years and gas for 35 years. In 2004, Malaysia is ranked 24th in terms of world oil reserves and 13th for gas. 56% of the oil reserves exist in the Peninsula while 19% exist in East Malaysia. The government collects oil royalties of which 5% are passed to the states and the rest retained by the federal government. Demographics Distribution of Bumiputra and Chinese populationMalaysia's population comprises many ethnic groups, with the Malays and other bumiputra groups in Sabah and Sarawak making up the majority, at 65% of the population. By constitutional definition, Malays are Muslims who practice Malay customs (adat) and culture. Therefore, technically, a Muslim of any race who practices Malay customs and culture can be considered a Malay and have equal rights when it comes to Malay rights as stated in the constitution. Non-Malay bumiputra groups make up more than half of the state of Sarawak's population (of which 30% are Ibans), and close to 60% of Sabah's population (of which 18% are Kadazan-Dusuns, and 17% are Bajaus). There also exist aboriginal groups in much smaller numbers on the Peninsula, where they are collectively known as Orang Asli. 26% of the population are Malaysians of Chinese descent, while Malaysians of Indian descent comprise 8% of the population. The majority of the Indian community are Tamils but various other groups are also present, including Malayalis, Punjabis and Gujaratis. Other Malaysians also include those whose origin, inter alia, can be traced to the Middle East, Thailand and Indonesia. Europeans and Eurasians include British who settled in Malaysia since colonial times, and a strong Portuguese community in Malacca. A small number of Cambodians and Vietnamese also settled in Malaysia as Vietnam War refugees. Population distribution is uneven, with some 20 million residents concentrated on the Malay Peninsula, while East Malaysia is relatively less populated. Due to the rise in labour intensive industries, Malaysia has 10 to 20% foreign workers with the uncertainty due in part to the large number of illegal workers, mostly Indonesian. There are a million legal foreign workers and perhaps another million unauthorized foreigners. The state of Sabah alone has nearly 25% of its 2.7 million population listed as illegal foreign workers in the last census. However, this figure of 25% is thought to be less than half the figure speculated by NGOs. Additionally, according to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Malaysia hosts a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 155,700. Of this population, approximately 70,500 refugees and asylum seekers are from the Philippines, 69,700 from Myanmar, and 21,800 from Indonesia. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants named Malaysia as one of the Ten Worst Places for Refugees on account of the country's discriminatory practices toward refugees. Malaysian officials are reported to have turned deportees directly over to human smugglers in 2007, and Malaysia employs the RELA, a volunteer militia, to enforce its immigration law. Religion Masjid Ubudiah is a well-known historical mosque in Kuala Kangsar. Christ Church in Malacca Town was constructed in the 18th century by the Dutch.Malaysia is a multi-religious society and Islam is the official religion. According to the Population and Housing Census 2000 figures, approximately 60.4 percent of the population practiced Islam; 19.2 percent Buddhism; 9.1 percent Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 2.6 percent traditional Chinese religions. The remaining 2 percent was accounted for by other faiths, including Animism and Sikhism. Until the twentieth century, most practiced traditional beliefs, which arguably still linger on to a greater degree than Malaysian officialdom is prepared to acknowledge. Although the Malaysian constitution theoretically guarantees religious freedom, in practice the situation is restricted. All ethnic Malays are Muslim as defined in the Malaysian constitution. Additionally, all non-Muslims who marry a Muslim must renounce their religion and convert to Islam. Meanwhile, non-Muslims experience restrictions in activities such as construction of religious buildings and the celebration of certain religious events in some states. Muslims are obliged to follow the decisions of Sharia courts when it comes to matters concerning their religion. The jurisdiction of Sharia court is limited only to Muslims over matters of Faith and Obligations as a Muslim, which includes marriage, inheritance, apostasy, conversion, and custody among others. No other criminal or civil offences are under the jurisdiction of the Sharia Courts. As a rule, the Civil Courts cannot overrule any decision made by the Sharia Courts - not even the Federal Court. The Sharia Courts have a similar hierarchy to the Civil Courts. Education Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) is one of the earliest boarding schools to be established in British Malaya. University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus.Education in Malaysia is monitored by the federal government Ministry of Education. Most Malaysian children start schooling between the ages of three to six, in kindergarten. Most kindergartens are run privately, but there are a few government-operated kindergartens. Children begin primary schooling at the age of seven for a period of six years. There are two major types of government-operated or government-assisted primary schools. They are the national schools (Sekolah Kebangsaan) which use Malay as the medium of instruction, and the national-type schools (Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan) which use either Chinese or Tamil as the medium of instruction. Before progressing to the secondary level of education, students in Year 6 used to be required to sit for the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), or Primary School Assessment Examination. An exam called Penilaian Tahap Satu (PTS), First Level Assessment, was used to measure the ability of bright students, and to allow them to move from Year 3 to 5, skipping Year 4. However, this exam was removed in 2001. Secondary education in government secondary schools lasts for five years. Government secondary schools use Malay as the main medium of instruction. The only exceptions are the Maths and Science subjects as well as languages other than Malay. At the end of the third year or Form Three, students sit for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR), Lower Secondary Assessment. The combination of subjects available to Form 4 students vary from one school to another. In the last year (Form 5), students sit for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Malaysian Certificate of Education, which is equivalent to the British Ordinary or 'O' Levels (now referred to as GCSE). The oldest in Malaysia is Penang Free School. Penang Free School is also the oldest school in South East Asia. Mathematics and Science subjects in government primary and secondary schools such as Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are taught in English. The reasoning was that students would no longer be hindered by the language barrier during their tertiary education in fields such as medicine and engineering. There are also 60 Chinese Independent High Schools in Malaysia, where most subjects are taught in Chinese. Chinese Independent High Schools are monitored and standardised by the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (UCSCAM, more commonly referred to by its Chinese name, Dong Zong 董总), however, unlike government schools, every independent school is free to make its own decisions. Studying in independent schools takes 6 years to complete, divided into Junior Middle (3 years) and Senior Middle (3 years). Students sit for a standardised test by Dong Zong known as the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) in Junior Middle 3 (equivalent to PMR) and Senior Middle 3 (equivalent to AO level). A number of independent schools conduct classes in Malay and English in addition to Chinese, enabling the students to sit for the PMR and SPM as well. Malaysia's secondary schools are grouped into a few types, namely national schools which include daily schools and religious schools, Chinese independent schools, technical schools, residential schools, Mara Junior Science College and private-funding schools such as religious schools, international schools and private schools. Students who wish to enter public universities must complete one and a half more years of secondary schooling in Form Six and sit for the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Malaysian Higher School Certificate; equivalent to the British Advanced or 'A' levels. As for tertiary education, there are public universities such as University of Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. In addition, five international reputable universities have set up their branch campuses in Malaysia since 1998. A branch campus can be seen as an ‘off-shore campus’ of the foreign university, which offers the same courses and awards as the main campus. Both local and international students can acquire these identical foreign qualifications in Malaysia for a cheaper price. The foreign university branch campuses in Malaysia are: Monash University Malaysia Campus, Curtin University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Students also have the option of enrolling in private colleges after secondary studies. Most colleges have educational links with overseas universities especially in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Malaysian students abroad study mostly in the UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Japan. In addition to the National Curriculum, Malaysia has many international schools. International schools offer students the opportunity to study the curriculum of another country. These schools mainly cater to the growing expatriate population in the country. International schools include: the Australian International School, Malaysia (Australian curriculum), The Alice Smith School (British Curriculum), elc International school (British Curriculum), The Garden International School (British Curriculum), Lodge International School (British Curriculum), The International School of Kuala Lumpur (International Baccalaureate and American Curriculum), The Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur (Japanese Curriculum), The International School of Penang (International Baccalaureate and British Curriculum), Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur (French Curriculum) amongst others. Healthcare Malaysian society places importance on the expansion and development of health care, putting 5% of the government social sector development budget into public health care—an increase of more than 47% over the previous figure. This has meant an overall increase of more than RM 2 billion. With a rising and aging population, the Government wishes to improve in many areas including the refurbishment of existing hospitals, building and equipping new hospitals, expansion of the number of polyclinics, and improvements in training and expansion of telehealth. Over the last couple of years they have increased their efforts to overhaul the systems and attract more foreign investment. The Malaysian health care system requires doctors to perform a compulsory three years service with public hospitals to ensure the manpower of these hospitals is maintained. Recently foreign doctors have also been encouraged to take up employment here. There is still, however, a compound shortage of medical workforce, especially that of highly trained specialists resulting in certain medical care and treatment only available in large cities. Recent efforts to bring many facilities to other towns have been hampered by lack of expertise to run the available equipment made ready by investments. The majority of private hospitals are in urban areas and, unlike many of the public hospitals, are equipped with the latest diagnostic and imaging facilities. Private hospitals have not generally been seen as an ideal investment—it has often taken up to ten years before companies have seen any profits. However, the situation has now changed and companies are now looking into this area again, particularly in view of the increasing interest by foreigners in coming to Malaysia for medical care and the recent government focus to develop the health tourism industry. Currently, private Malaysia Hospitals are looking at international healthcare accreditation, which may be Australian, British or American sourced. Economy The Malay Peninsula and indeed Southeast Asia has been a centre of trade for centuries. Various items such as porcelain and spices were actively traded even before Malacca and Singapore rose to prominence. The Malaysian government Ministry of Finance building in Putrajaya.In the 17th century, they were found in several Malay states. Later, as the British started to take over as administrators of Malaya, rubber and palm oil trees were introduced for commercial purposes. Over time, Malaya became the world's largest major producer of tin, rubber, and palm oil. These three commodities, along with other raw materials, firmly set Malaysia's economic tempo well into the mid-20th century. Instead of relying on the local Malays as a source of labour, the British brought in Chinese and Indians to work on the mines and plantations. Although many of them returned to their respective home countries after their agreed tenure ended, some remained in Malaysia and settled permanently. As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic five-year plans, beginning with the First Malayan Five Year Plan in 1955. Upon the establishment of Malaysia, the plans were re-titled and renumbered, beginning with the First Malaysia Plan in 1965. In 1970s, Malaysia began to imitate the four Asian Tiger economies (Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore) and committed itself to a transition from being reliant on mining and agriculture to an economy that depends more on manufacturing. With Japanese investment, heavy industries flourished and in a matter of years, Malaysian exports became the country's primary growth engine. Malaysia consistently achieved more than 7% GDP growth along with low inflation in the 1980s and the 1990s. During the same period, the government tried to eradicate poverty with the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP), after the May 13 Incident of racial rioting in 1969. Its main objective was the elimination of the association of race with economic function, and the first five-year plan to begin implementing the NEP was the Second Malaysia Plan. The success or failure of the NEP is the subject of much debate, although it was officially retired in 1990 and replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP). Recently much debate has surfaced once again with regards to the results and relevance of the NEP. Some have argued that the NEP has indeed successfully created a Middle/Upper Class of Malay businessmen and professionals. Despite some improvement in the economic power of Malays in general, the Malaysian government maintains a policy of discrimination that favors ethnic Malays over other races—including preferential treatment in employment, education, scholarships, business, access to cheaper housing and assisted savings. This special treatment has sparked envy and resentment between non-Malays and Malays. The Chinese control of the locally-owned sector of the country's economy, meanwhile, has been ceded largely in favour of the Bumiputras/Malays in many essential or strategic industries such as petroleum retailing, transportation, agriculture and etc. The minority of Indian descent has by and large been the most adversely affected by this policy. Indicators point to a higher incidence of crime and gang related activities among the Indians in recent years. The rapid economic boom led to a variety of supply problems, however. Labour shortages soon resulted in an influx of millions of foreign workers, many illegal. Cash-rich PLCs and consortia of banks eager to benefit from increased and rapid development began large infrastructure projects. This all ended when the Asian Financial Crisis hit in the fall of 1997, delivering a massive shock to Malaysia's economy. As with other countries affected by the crisis, there was speculative short-selling of the Malaysian currency, the ringgit. Foreign direct investment fell at an alarming rate and, as capital flowed out of the country, the value of the ringgit dropped from MYR 2.50 per USD to, at one point, MYR 4.80 per USD. The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange's composite index plummeted from approximately 1300 points to around 400 points in a matter of weeks. After the controversial sacking of finance minister Anwar Ibrahim, a National Economic Action Council was formed to deal with the monetary crisis. Bank Negara imposed capital controls and pegged the Malaysian ringgit at 3.80 to the US dollar. Malaysia refused economic aid packages from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, however, surprising many analysts. In March 2005, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published a paper on the sources and pace of Malaysia's recovery, written by Jomo K.S. of the applied economics department, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. The paper concluded that the controls imposed by Malaysia's government neither hurt nor helped recovery. The chief factor was an increase in electronics components exports, which was caused by a large increase in the demand for components in the United States, which was caused, in turn, by a fear of the effects of the arrival of the year 2000 (Y2K) upon older computers and other digital devices. However, the post Y2K slump of 2001 did not affect Malaysia as much as other countries. This may have been clearer evidence that there are other causes and effects that can be more properly attributable for recovery. One possibility is that the currency speculators had run out of finance after failing in their attack on the Hong Kong dollar in August 1998 and after the Russian ruble collapsed. (See George Soros) Regardless of cause/effect claims, rejuvenation of the economy also coincided with massive government spending and budget deficits in the years that followed the crisis. Later, Malaysia enjoyed faster economic recovery compared to its neighbours. In many ways, however, the country has yet to recover to the levels of the pre-crisis era. While the pace of development today is not as rapid, it is seen to be more sustainable. Although the controls and economic housekeeping may not have been the principal reason for recovery, there is no doubt that the banking sector has become more resilient to external shocks. The current account has also settled into a structural surplus, providing a cushion to capital flight. Asset prices are now a fraction of their pre-crisis heights. The fixed exchange rate was abandoned in July 2005 in favour of a managed floating system within an hour of China's announcing of the same move. In the same week, the ringgit strengthened a percent against various major currencies and was expected to appreciate further. As of December 2005, however, expectations of further appreciation were muted as capital flight exceeded USD 10 billion. In September 2005, Sir Howard J. Davies, director of the London School of Economics, at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, cautioned Malaysian officials that if they want a flexible capital market, they will have to lift the ban on short-selling put into effect during the crisis. In March 2006, Malaysia removed the ban on short selling. Currently, Malaysia is considered a newly industrialized country. Infrastructure The Kuala Lumpur Tower enhances communication quality within Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. The Damansara Link section of Klang Valley's Sprint Expressway.Malaysia has extensive roads that connect all major cities and towns on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2006, the total length of the Malaysian expressway network is 1471.6 kilometres (914.4 miles). The network connects all major cities and conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang to each other. The major expressway, the North-South Expressway spans from the northern and the southern tips of Peninsular Malaysia at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Johor Bahru respectively. It is a part of the Asian Highway Network, which also connects into Thailand and Singapore. Roads in the East Malaysia and the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia are still relatively undeveloped. Those are highly curved roads passing through mountainous regions and many are still unsealed, gravel roads. This has resulted in the continued use of rivers and the necessary use of airplanes as the main or alternative mode of transportation for the interior residents. Train service in West Malaysia is operated by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malayan Railways) and has extensive railroads that connect all major cities and towns on the peninsular, including Singapore. There is also a short railway in Sabah operated by Sabah State Railway that mainly carries freight. There are seaports throughout the country. The major ports are Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor. Other important ports can be found in Tanjung Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Miri, Sandakan and Tawau. Airports are also found throughout the country. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the main airport of the country. Other important airports include Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport, Langkawi International Airport, and Senai International Airport. There are also airports in smaller towns, as well as small domestic airstrips in rural Sabah and Sarawak. There are daily flight services between West and East Malaysia, which is the only convenient option for passengers travelling between the two parts of the country. Malaysia is the home of the first low-cost carrier in the region, AirAsia. It has Kuala Lumpur as its hub and maintains flights to Southeast Asia and China as well. In KL it operates out of the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in KLIA. The intercity telecommunication service is provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay. International telecommunications are provided through submarine cables and satellite. One of the largest and most significant telecommunication companies in Malaysia is Telekom Malaysia (TM), providing products and services from fixed line, mobile as well as dial-up and broadband Internet access service. It has the near-monopoly of fixed line phone service in the country. In December 2004, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik reported that only 0.85% or 218,004 people in Malaysia used broadband services. However these values are based on subscriber number, whilst household percentage can reflect the situation more accurately. This represented an increase from 0.45% in three quarters. He also stated that the government targeted usage of 5% by 2006 and doubling to 10% by 2008. Lim Keng Yaik had urged local telecommunication companies and service provider to open up the last mile and lower prices to benefit the users. Culture Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual society. The population as of February 2007 is 26.6 million consisting of 62% Malays, 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities and indigenous peoples (Dept of Stats. Malaysia). Ethnic tensions have been rising in recent months. The Malays, who form the largest community, are defined as Muslims in the Constitution of Malaysia. The Malays play a dominant role politically and are included in a grouping identified as bumiputra. Their native language is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). Malay is the national language of the country. In the past, Malays wrote in Sanskrit or using Sanskrit-based alphabets. After the 15th century, Jawi (a script based on Arabic) became popular. Over time, romanized script overtook Sanskrit and Jawi as the dominant script. This was largely due to the influence of the colonial education system, which taught children in romanised writing rather than in Arabic script. The largest non-Malay indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number over 600,000. Some Iban still live in traditional jungle villages in long houses along the Rajang and Lupar rivers and their tributaries, although many have moved to the cities. The Bidayuhs, numbering around 170,000, are concentrated in the southwestern part of Sarawak. The largest indigenous tribe in Sabah is the Kadazan. They are largely Christian subsistence farmers. The 140,000 Orang Asli, or aboriginal peoples, comprise a number of different ethnic communities living in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists, many have been sedentarised and partially absorbed into modern Malaysia. The Chinese population in Malaysia is mostly Buddhist (of Mahayana sect) or Taoist. Chinese in Malaysia speak a variety of Chinese dialects including Mandarin Chinese, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew. A large majority of Chinese in Malaysia, especially those from larger cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang speak English as well. There has also been an increasing number of the present generation Chinese who consider English as their first language. Chinese have historically been dominant in the Malaysian business community. The Indians in Malaysia are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India who native language is Tamil, there are also other Indian communities which is Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi-speaking, living mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. Many middle to upper-middle class Indians in Malaysia also speak English as a first language. A vigorous 200,000-strong Tamil Muslim community also thrives as an independent subcultural group.there are also prevalent Tamil christian communities in major cities and towns. There is also a sizable Sikh community in Malaysia of over 83,000. Most Indians originally migrated from India as traders, teachers or other skilled workers. A larger number were also part of the forced migrations from India by the British during colonial times to work in the plantation industry. Eurasians, Cambodians, Vietnamese, and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. A small number of Eurasians, of mixed Portuguese and Malay descent, speak a Portuguese-based creole, called Papiá Kristang. There are also Eurasians of mixed Filipino and Spanish descent, mostly in Sabah. Descended from immigrants from the Philippines, some speak Chavacano, the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia. Cambodians and Vietnamese are mostly Buddhists (Cambodians of Theravada sect and Vietnamese, Mahayana sect). Malaysian traditional music is heavily influenced by Chinese and Islamic forms. The music is based largely around the gendang (drum), but includes other percussion instruments (some made of shells); the rebab, a bowed string instrument; the serunai, a double-reed oboe-like instrument; flutes, and trumpets. The country has a strong tradition of dance and dance dramas, some of Thai, Indian and Portuguese origin. Other artistic forms include wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), silat (a stylised martial art) and crafts such as batik, weaving, including the ceremonial cloth pua kumbu, and silver and brasswork. Holidays Malaysians observe a number of holidays and festivities throughout the year. Some holidays are federal gazetted public holidays and some are public holidays observed by individual states. Other festivals are observed by particular ethnic or religion groups, but are not public holidays. Typical festive fare during Hari Raya Puasa or Hari Raya Haji (clockwise from bottom left): beef soup, ketupat (compressed rice cubes), beef rendang and sayur lodeh.The most celebrated holiday is the "Hari Merdeka" (Independence Day) on August 31 commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, while Malaysia Day is only celebrated in the state of Sabah on September 16 to commemorate the formation of Malaysia in 1963. Hari Merdeka, as well as Labour Day (May 1), the King's Birthday (first Saturday of June) and some other festivals are federal gazetted public holidays. Muslims in Malaysia celebrate Muslim holidays. The most celebrated festival, Hari Raya Puasa (also called Hari Raya Aidilfitri) is the Malay translation of Eid al-Fitr. It is generally a festival honoured by the Muslims worldwide marking the end of Ramadan, the fasting month. In addition to Hari Raya Puasa, they also celebrate Hari Raya Haji (also called Hari Raya Aidiladha, the translation of Eid ul-Adha), Awal Muharram (Islamic New Year) and Maulidul Rasul (Birthday of the Prophet). Chinese in Malaysia typically celebrate festivals that are observed by Chinese around the world. Chinese New Year is the most celebrated among the festivals which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Other festivals celebrated by Chinese are the Qingming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to traditional Chinese festivals, Buddhists Chinese also celebrate Vesak. The majority of Indians in Malaysia are Hindus and they celebrate Diwali, the festival of light, while Thaipusam is a celebration which pilgrims from all over the country flock to Batu Caves. Apart from the Hindus, Sikhs celebrate the Vaisakhi, the Sikh New Year. Other festivals such as Good Friday (East Malaysia only), Christmas, Hari Gawai of the Ibans (Dayaks), Pesta Menuai (Pesta Kaamatan) of the Kadazan-Dusuns are also celebrated in Malaysia. Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, all Malaysians celebrate the festivities together, regardless of their background. For years, when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year coincided, a slogan, Kongsi Raya, a combination of Gong Xi Fa Cai (a greeting used on the Chinese New Year) and Hari Raya (which could also mean "celebrating together" in Malay language) was coined. For years when the Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincide, a slogan, Deepa Raya, is similarly coined. |
|