History of Malaysia - 1970 till present

Malaysia as a Fully Developed Country - One Definition

By the year 2020, Malaysia can be a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.

There can be no fully developed Malaysia until we have finally overcome the nine central strategic challenges that have confronted us from the moment of our birth as an independent nation.

The first of these is the challenges of establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny. This must be a nation at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and full and fair partnership, made up of one 'Bangsa Malaysia' with political loyalty and dedication to the nation.

The second is the challenge of creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian Society with faith and confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, robust enough to face all manner of adversity. This Malaysian Society must be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other nations.

The third challenge we have always faced is that of fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practicing a form of mature consensual, community-oriented Malaysian democracy that can be a model for many developing countries.

The fourth is the challenge of establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in religious and spiritual values and imbued with the highest of ethical standards.

The fifth challenge that we have always faced is the challenge of establishing a matured, liberal and tolerant society in which Malaysians of all colors and creeds are free to practice and profess their customs, cultures and religious beliefs and yet feeling that they belong to one nation.

The sixth is the challenge of establishing a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-looking, one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the scientific and technological civilization of the future.

The seventh challenge is the challenge of establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society will come before self, in which the welfare of the people will revolve not around the state or the individual but around a strong and resilient family system.

The eighth is the challenge of ensuring an economically just society. This is a society in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation, in which there is full partnership in economic progress. Such a society cannot be in place so long as there is the identification of race with economic function, and the identification of economic backwardness with race.

The ninth challenge is the challenge of establishing a prosperous society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.

We have already come a long way towards the fulfillment of these objectives. The nine central objectives listed need not be our order of priorities over the next three decades. Most obviously, the priorities of any moment in time must meet the specific circumstances of that moment in time.

But it would be surprising if the first strategic challenge which I have mentioned - the establishment of a united Malaysian nation - is not likely to be the most fundamental, the most basic.

Since much of what I will say this morning will concentrate on economic development, let me stress yet again that the comprehensive development towards the developed society that we want -however each of us may wish to define it -cannot mean material and economic advancement only. Far from it. Economic development must not become the be-all and the end-all of our national endeavors.

Since this Council must concentrate on the issues of economic development and economic social justice, which for this nation must go hand in hand for the foreseeable future, let me expand on the perception of the central strategic challenges with regard to these two vital objectives. At this point it is well to define in greater detail the objective of establishing an economically just society.

Of the two prongs of the NEP no one is against the eradication of absolute poverty -regardless of race, and irrespective of geographical location. All Malaysians, whether they live in the rural or the urban areas, whether they are in the south, north, east or west, must be moved above the line of absolute poverty.

This nation must be able to provide enough food on the table so that not a solitary Malaysian is subjected to the travesty of gross under-nourishment. We must provide enough by way of essential shelter, access to health facilities, and all the basic essentials. A developed Malaysia must have a wide and vigorous middle class and must provide full opportunities for those in the bottom third to climb their way out of the pit of relative poverty.

The second prong, that of removing the identification of race with major economic function is also acceptable except that somehow it is thought possible to achieve this without any shuffling of position. If we want to build an equitable society than we must accept some affirmative action. This will mean that in all the major and important sectors of employment, there should be a good mix of the ethnic groups that make up the Malaysian nation. By legitimate means we must ensure a fair balance with regard to the professions and all the major categories of employment. Certainly we must be as interested in quality and merit. But we must ensure the healthy development of a viable and robust Bumiputera commercial and industrial community.

A developed Malaysia should not have a society in which economic backwardness is identified with race. This does not imply individual income equality, a situation in which all Malaysians will have the same income. This is impossibility because by sheer dint of our own individual effort, our own individual upbringing and our individual preferences, we will all have different economic worth, and will be financially rewarded differently. An equality of individual income as propounded by socialists and communists is not only not possible, it is not desirable and is a formula for disaster.

But I do believe that the narrowing of the ethnic income gap, through the legitimate provision of opportunities, through a closer parity of social services and infrastructure, through the development of the appropriate economic cultures and through full human resource development, is both necessary and desirable. We must aspire by the year 2020 to reach a stage where no-one can say that a particular ethnic group is inherently economically backward and another is economically inherently advanced. Such a situation is what we must work for efficiently, effectively, with fairness and with dedication.

"A full partnership in economic progress" cannot mean full partnership in poverty. It must mean a fair balance with regard to the participation and contribution of all our ethnic groups - including the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak - in the high-growth, modern sectors of our economy. It must mean a fair distribution with regard to the control , management and ownership of the modern economy.

In order to achieve this economically just society, we must escalate dramatically our programs for national human resource development. There is a need to ensure the creation of an economically resilient and fully competitive Bumiputera community so as to be at par with the NonBumiputera community. There is need for a mental revolution and a cultural transformation. Much of the work of pulling ourselves up by our boot-straps must be done ourselves. In working for the correction of the economic imbalances, there has to be the fullest emphasis on making the needed advances at speed and with the most productive results - at the lowest possible economic and societal cost.

With regard to the establishment of a prosperous society, we can set many aspirational goals. I believe that we should set the realistic (as opposed to aspirational) target of almost doubling our real gross domestic product every t en years between 1990 and 2020 AD. If we do this, our GDP should be about eight times larger by the year 2020 than it was in 1990. Our GDP in 1990 was 115 billion Ringgit. Our GDP in 2020 should therefore be about 920 billion Ringgit in real (1990 Ringgit) terms.

This rapid growth will require that we grow by an average of about 7 per cent (in real terms) annually over the next 30 years. Admittedly this is on optimistic projection but we should set our sights high if we are to motivate ourselves into striving hard. We must guard against 'growth fixation', the danger of pushing for growth figures oblivious to the needed commitment to ensure stability, to keep inflation low, to guarantee sustainability, to develop our quality of life and standard of living, and the achievement of our other social objectives. It will be a difficult task, with many peaks and low points. But I believe that this can be done.
In the 1960s, we grew by an annual average of 5.1 per cent; in the 1970s, the first decade of the NEP, Malaysia grew by an average of 7.8 per cent; in the 1980s, because of the recession years, we grew by an annual average of 5.9 per cent.

If we take the last thirty years, our GDP rose annually in real terms by an average of 6.3 per cent. If we take the last twenty years, we grew by an annual average of 6.9 per cent. What is needed is an additional 0.1 per cent growth. Surely if we all pull together God willing this 0.1% can be achieved.

If we do succeed, and assuming roughly a 2.5 per cent annual rate of population growth, by the year 2020, Malaysians will be four times richer (in real terms) than they were in 1990. That is the measure of the prosperous society we wish and hopefully we can achieve.

The second leg of our economic objective should be to secure the establishment of a competitive economy. Such an economy must be able to sustain itself over the longer term, must be dynamic, robust and resilient. It must mean, among other things: A diversified and balanced economy with a mature and widely based industrial sector, a modern and mature agriculture sector and an efficient and productive and an equally mature services sector; an economy that is quick on its feet, able to quickly adapt to changing patterns of supply, demand and competition; an economy that is technologically proficient, fully able to adapt, innovate and invent, that is increasingly technology intensive, moving in the direction of higher and higher levels of technology; an economy that has strong and cohesive industrial linkages throughout the system; an economy driven by brain-power, skills and diligence in possession of a wealth of information, with the knowledge of what to do and how to do it; an economy with high and escalating productivity with regard to every factor of production; an entrepreneurial economy that is self - reliant, outward - looking and enterprising; an economy sustained by an exemplary work ethic, quality consciousness and the quest for excellence; an economy characterized by low inflation and a low cost of living; an economy that is subjected to the full discipline and rigor of market forces.

Most of us in this present Council will not be there on the morning of January 1, 2020 Not many, I think. The great bulk of the work that must be done to ensure a fully developed country called Malaysia a generation from now will obviously be done by the leaders who follow us, by our children and grand-children. But we should make sure that we have done our duty in guiding them with regard to what we should work to become. And let us lay the secure foundations that they must build upon.


*A complete text of the Working Paper - The Way Forward presented by His Excellency YAB Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Malaysian Business Council.

Source : National Library of Malaysia; Prime Minister's Office, Malaysia.

History of Malaysia - 1958-1969

Formation of Malaysia
Confrontation with Indonesia
Malaysian Political System
13 May 1969 Incident

Source : National Library of Malaysia

History of Malaysia - 1946-1957

British Military Administration
The Formation of the Malayan Union
Federation of Malaya
Malayan Independence


Source : National Library of Malaysia

History of Malaysia - 1511-1945

The Coming of the Portuguese (1511 - 1624)
Dutch captured Melaka from the Portuguese (1641 - 1824)
The Surrender of the Portuguese to the Dutch (1641 - 1824)
The Surrender of Melaka to the British By The Dutch (1824 - 1941 )
The Founding of Penang (1786)
James Brooke in Borneo (1841 - 1863)
The Federated Malay States (1896)
The Unfederated Malay States
Education
System of Communications
Health and Medical Services
World War I (1914 till 1918)
World War II (1941 till 1945)




Source : National Library of Malaysia

History of Malaysia - Ancient Malay Government

The ancient Malay Sultanate of Melaka was a sultanate whose rein of government was entirely in the hands of the rulers and the Malay officials. The Malay rulers of Melaka originated from Singapore that was after the defeat of the Malay kingdom of Singapore by the Siamese. The Malay Sultanate of Melaka lasted for little over a century, stretching from the end of the fourteenth century to the early part of the sixteenth century that is from 1394 to 1511.




Under the reign of the Malay rulers, Melaka was not only a prosperous trading town but also the center for the spread of Islam for the whole of the Malay Archipelago. After the decline of the Seri Vijaya and Majapahit Empires at the end of the fourteenth century, it was Melaka, which raised and maintained Malay rule in the Malay Archipelago. Political stability and a just legal system attracted traders from all over the Archipelago to Melaka. Traders from China, Indian sub-continent, Pegu in Burma and Arabia came to Melaka to trade.

First Ruler of Melaka : Parameswara 1394-1414
Second Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Megat Iskandar Syah (1414 - 1424)
Third Ruler of Melaka : Seri Maharaja (Raja Tengah ) or Sultan Muhammad Syah
Fourth Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Abu Syahid (1445 -1446)
Fifth Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Muzaffar Syah (1446 - 1456)
The Sixth Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Mansur Syah (1456 - 1477)
Seventh Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah (1477- 1488)
Eight Ruler of Melaka : Sultan Mahmud Syah (1488 - 1511)


Source : National Library of Malaysia

History of Malaysia - Prehistoric Period

Malaysia comprises the Malay Peninsula, the southern most tip of the Asian mainland, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak, situated 530 kilometers further east across the South China Sea in Northern Borneo.

Malaysia's prehistory begins with the earliest known traces of human habitation around 40 millenniums ago, and extend through the prehistoric period to the founding of Melaka Sultanate in the 1400, the date commonly used as the starting point of the historic era. Because so much has been written about Melaka, that the long period preceding it, that is the prehistory period has been overshadowed.

The study of early history in Malaysia has been affected by two factors, that is the physical geography and the climate. Researchers have tended to concentrate their research either on the Peninsula or the states of Sabah and Sarawak resulting in an incomplete research on the overall prehistory of Malaysia. The climate of Malaysia which is torrid and the dense rain forests have left few artifacts other than earth wares and stones and metal tools remain from the earlier periods. Most of these, including burials have been found in the protected environment of caves. The only surviving architectural remnants are the stone foundations of the 5th to the 13th century buildings from the kingdom period in Kedah and from Santubong in Sarawak.

The earliest evidence of human occupation in Sarawak
is a 38,000-year-old skull from the Niah Caves whereas the earliest evidence from the Peninsula is an 11,000-year-old skeleton from Gua Gunung Runtuh in Perak. The oldest artifacts are Paleolithic stone stools from Kota Tampan, Perak, dated back to 34,000 years ago, while the earliest Borneon artifacts are stone tools from Tingkayu, Sabah produced between 28,000 and 18,000 years ago. Hunter-gatherer lifestyles changed dramatically about 5,000 years ago when they acquired the knowledge of producing polished stone tools and earth ware. Evidence of Neolithic culture can be found either on its own, or at Mesolithic sites, including the Niah caves in Sarawak, Gua Cha in Kelantan and Gua Kechil in Pahang.


Peninsular Metal Age sites are also concentrated in the north with the exception of the discovery of a bronze bell in Muar, Johor. East coast discoveries were often situated near gold sources, while those on the west coast were near tin sources. Metal Age culture is also represented by iron items, including long-shafted tools known to the Malays as tulang mawas, or ape?s bones, which have been found only in Peninsular Malaysia. The presence of bronze ware from North Vietnam provides the first tangible evidence of long distance seafaring and the establishment of maritime trade links with mainland Southeast Asia. Indian beads found at Metal age sites such as Kuala Selinsing (200 BCE ? 900 CE) and Changkat Menteri (1-800 CE) both located in Perak are proof of trade ties with South Asia.

Source : National Library of Malaysia

Taman Negara : A Malaysia Beauty

Taman Negara, a national park located in the Malaysian Peninsula stretching over an area of 4,343 sq. km. Originating before the Congo and the Amazon, it is considered one of the oldest jungles in the world having been left untouched for the past 130 million years. This great rainforest sprawls across the states of Pahang, Kelantan, and Trengganu.

Although the forests of the Northern Hemisphere were affected by the advance and retreat of glaciers until the end of the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago, the landscape of Malaysia's rainforests have been geologically stable, without any major uplifting, folding, subsidence or deposition.Taman Negara (simply meaning National Park) originated from Pahang State Legislation in 1925. More than 1,300 sq. km of tropical jungle in its natural state was designated as "The Gunung Tahan Game Reserve". In 1938-39, it was declared a National Park through enactments of the States of Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, and named King George V National Park. It was changed to Taman Negara after Independence in 1957. It has been preserved well and is almost intact to this day.

Climate:
Situated between 4-5degrees north of the equator, Taman Negara receives rain throughout the year at around 2,200-mm per annum in the lowlands rising to more than 3,800-mm in the mountains. At the Kuala Tahan area, the driest month is February with an average precipitation of 71-mm and the wettest month is October with 275-mm. Rainfall is mainly heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon followed by a sunny morning and mid-day. The northeast monsoon influences precipitation greatly, bringing heavy rainfall from November to February and causing floods in low-lying areas of the park.

Therefore during this wet spell, from November 15th to January 15th, the park is closed to visitors.Within the lowland forest, temperature varies little throughout the year. It measures at about 26 degrees Celsius in the middle of the day and 22 degrees Celsius at night, with a humidity rate constantly above 90%.

Topography:
The Topography of Taman Negara is generally hilly and mountainous. The lowland area covers only about ten percent of the park, and this is where most of the Taman Negara visitors' facilities are centered. Most of the low-lying areas are covered with lowland dipterocarpaceous forest. The center of the park is mountainous and lies on sedimentary rock, whereas the remainder is comprised of granite and scattered outcrops of limestone. The highest point is Gunung Tahan (which means the forbidden mountain) at 2,187-m above sea level. The lowest aspect is Kuala Atok, which is about 75-m above sea level. Gunung Tahan marks the Pahang-Kelantan border.

The limestone formations are spectacular to view in Taman Negara. In some places, these occur as magnificent cliff-sided outcrops. Gua Pening at (713-m) is Peninsular Malaysia's highest. Limestone was originally deposited beneath the sea as an accretion of fine material principally derived from shells and corals. Under intense pressure these sediments became rock, and with uplifting the limestone was subjected to the erosive forces of wind, rain, and streams. There is a limestone mountain chain between the Trenggan River and Kenyam River: the largest mountain being Gua Besar, which is visible from Teresik Hill. Close to Kuala Tahan is the limestone cave, Gua Telinga. Further south, in the catchment of Sungai Ruil, is Gua Landak, which was only first explored in 1986. Further west are outcrops such as Gua Tumpat, Gua Siput, and Gua Cemara, and none of them are as yet easily accessible to visitors.

Rainforest Ecosystem:
The tropical rainforest in Taman Negara ranges from lowland dipterocarp forest to montane and ericaceous forest at higher altitudes. The lowland forest is a highly diverse and complex ecosystem comprising of tall, largely evergreen trees, which include many tropical hardwood species like the abundant meranti and keruing. Their characteristics are woody epiphytes and thick stemmed lianas. The 50-m tall tualang trees with their buttress roots and crowns are distinctive of the lowland plant community. Ferns can be often seen climbing high up a tree trunk or branch where it is mostly brighter. These are called epiphytes. They are unable to survive in the darkness at ground level because they have no connection with the ground. They gather nutrients from the rain and the debris that collects around the plant. That's why epiphytes do not grow very large. More than 240 species of trees can be found in a single hectare of forest here compared with an average of seven in a forest in Europe.

There are also climbing plants that range from slender soft-stemmed creepers to giant lianas. Some are as thick as 30cm, with many leafy branches spreading out among the treetops. The rattan - spiny stemmed climbing plants - are among the most common.

Strangling figs (Ficus) - with stems that descend from a high branch of a host tree, then divide, rejoin and thicken around the trunk - can also be seen. The fig's leaves crowd out those of the host. Eventually, the host tree dies. There are trees that flower and give fruit every year, and others that do so only once in every four or more years. Some trees and climbers flower from the main stem rather than from the leafy branches. They are called cauliflower.

Most rainforest trees replace their leaves progressively; some of the larger trees lose all their leaves once a year, and stand bare for a week or two before the new leaves sprout. Overall, however, the rainforest always maintains an evergreen appearance. The undergrowth in the virgin forest is relatively open in most places because of year-round darkness on the forest floor. Buttresses, climbers, stranglers, palms, epiphytes, cauliflower - all in a multi-layered, evergreen and ever-moist forest - form Malaysia's tropical rainforest, or otherwise known as Malaysia's "Green Heart".

Over 14,000 species of plants exist within the park. All the functioning processes of the forest are interlinked in an extraordinarily complex web of mutual dependence.

Termites and fungi break down dead wood and leaves, and recycle nutrients into the soil. Through the chlorophyll in the green leaves, the plants harness the sun's energy to produce their building materials. All animals depend directly or indirectly on plants for food. The plants in turn depend on the animals for pollination and seed dispersal. The eagle eats the snake, the snake eats the frog, the frog eats the dragonfly, the dragonfly eats the caterpillar, which eats the leaf... Yet the existence of any kind of plant or animal has never been destroyed completely; there are always some that will live long enough to breed and ensure the continuation of the species. The jungle sustains its own balance, its own harmony; and it happens without the involvement of human beings. It is full of mysterious creatures, and each has a specific role in maintaining the fragile balance of life.

Animal and Bird Fauna:
Around 200 species of mammals and 250 species of birds exist in Taman Negara. The dense foliage of Malaysia's rainforests supports about 160 elephants. A sparse population of the highly endangered Sumatran rhinoceros exists but is very rarely sighted. Malayan tapir (pig-like mammals) are fairly common, especially at Kumbang and Belau and are perhaps one of the most commonly seen and photographed of the large mammals. Two species of deer, mouse deer and barking deer, are well distributed. Wild boars are extremely common and together with the deer, form an important item on the tigers' menu. Primates like the white-haired gibbons and the long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques are abound in the forest.

A variety of squirrels are found, with black and common giant squirrels being among the largest. At dusk, the nocturnal red flying fox can be seen gliding from tree to tree. Tigers exist in fair numbers and may be found along the tributaries of the Tembeling river. The leopard that exists mainly in the black variety is much rarer with few sightings. The cloud leopard and Malaysian sun bear, though rarely seen, often leave their calling card in the form of deep claw marks on tree trunks.

Other smaller predators in the park include the leopard cat, civet cats, and the yellow-throated marten. Otters like the 46-cm long Oriental small-clawed otter may also be seen along the banks of the Tembeling Monitor lizards, agamids and skunks can be seen. Many species of snakes including the reticulated python, common cobra and king cobra are also found. Cave racers (long white snakes), several species of bats and Malaysian giant toads can be found in caves, especially in Gua Talinga, the cave nearest to Kuala Tahan.

More than 250 species of resident and migratory birds have been recorded. The best period for bird watching is from September to March when migrant birds like the ashy minivets, and the arctic and eastern crowned warblers are around. Along the river courses, the lesser fish eagle may be seen gracefully in flight over the water. Kingfishers are plentiful along the river too. The forest shelters some of the world's most spectacular terrestrial birds. The great Argus is the largest, whose loud penetrating double call is often heard day and night. The Malaysian peacock pheasant, crested fireback and crestless fireback are fairly common and can be seen along trails. Brilliantly colored pittas are represented by resident giant, garnet and banded pittas.

During winter, migrant blue winged and hooded pittas add colour to the forest's beauty. Some of the largest raptors like the serpent eagle and hawk-eagle are often seen. In the mountain forest of Mount Tahan, the silver-eared mesias, chestnut-capped laughing thrushes and shrike-babblers can be seen foraging. Taman Negara is the home of the two endemic montane birds, the hill prinia that occurs only in the Padang and the crested Argus that is found on Mount Taban, Mount Gagau and Mount Rabong. Crimson-breasted flowerpeckers may be seen near the forest edges and grey-breasted spiderhunters are commonly found near flowering shrubs and trees in the lower and middle strata of the lowland rainforest. The latter's favorite food is wild bananas and ginger.


By Dr. Nadia El-Awady