REGIONAL STUDY AND ANALYSIS

ON
MALAYSIA

By: CPT Rester John L Nonato JAGS (Res)

501st TASG, 5th TAS (Res), AFPRESCOM
AFP Strategic CMO Officers Online Course 17-19
 Order of Presentation
1) Background
2) Physical Environment – Geographical Location, Borders, Capital City and
Population, Largest City, and Climate
3) Infrastructure and Telecommunications
4) Energy
5) Water Supply and Sanitation
6) Health and Education
7) GDP and Economy
8) Tourism
9) Religion and Culture
10) Government and Foreign Relations
11) Military Component
12) Border and International Disputes with Philippines
13) Terrorism Policies
14) Analysis and Recommendation
15) Conclusion
16) References
Background
•Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms which,
from the 18th century, became subject to the British
Empire as a protectorate.
•Peninsular Malaysia was unified as the Malayan Union in
1946.
•Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in
1948 and achieved independence on 31 August 1957.
Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore
on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia.
•In 1965, Singapore was removed from the federation and
no longer part of Malaysia
Physical Environment
Geographical Location: There are two major parts to this
country, Peninsular Malaysia to the west and East to the
east. In addition, there are numerous smaller islands
surrounding both land masses.

GPS Coordinates: 2°30'N 112°30'E

Borders: Peninsular Malaysia is situated on the

southernmost section of the Malay Peninsula, south of
Thailand, north of Singapore and east of the Indonesian
island of Sumatra; East Malaysia comprises most of the
northern part of Borneo island, with land borders shared
with Brunei to the north and Indonesian Borneo which is to
the south.
Capital City: Kuala Lumpur

Population: The current population of Malaysia is 32,065,342 as

of 11 October 11 2019, based on Worldometers elaboration of
the latest United Nations data.

Largest City: Kuala Lumpur

Climate: The climate is equatorial, ie hot, humid and rainy

throughout the year. Temperatures are high and stable, with a
slight decrease between November and January, when highs
drop to 29/30 °C (84/86 °F), at least in the north, and a slight
increase (which, however, is felt because of the high humidity)
between March and August, when highs hover around 32/33
°C (90/91 °F) and lows around 23/25 °C (73/77 °F).
Infrastructure and Telecommunications
• Malaysia is served by a network of 94,500 kilometers (58,721 miles) of primary and secondary
roads, 70,970 kilometers (44,100 miles) of which are paved.

• In response to the growing number of cars on the national roads, the government invested in
development of the public transport system, including modernization of the country's railways
and the construction of a light rapid-transit system in Kuala Lumpur.

• Telecommunications services in Malaysia are provided by several competing companies. The

largest is Telecom Malaysia, which formerly had a state monopoly in the sector. The quality
of telecommunication services is up to international standards, thanks to an inflow of private
investments and the government's initiatives in developing this sector.

•
Energy
• In Peninsular Malaysia, electrical power is supplied by the predominantly state-controlled
Tenaga Nasional company.

• Due to the rapid industrial development and growing demand for electricity, considerable
efforts were made to privatize the national utility company and develop private initiatives to
build and operate new power generating plants. To this end, a private consortium, the
Independent Power Providers (IPPs), was established.

• Malaysia has sufficient reserves of oil, gas, and coal to meet its energy needs.

• Additionally, in East Malaysia there is huge potential for building hydroelectric power plants,
but their development will require considerable investments. Current sources of renewable
energy are solar panels and turbines.

 
Water Supply and Sanitation

• Water resources in Malaysia are abundant and available throughout the year. They
are estimated at 580 km3/year (average 1977-2001), equivalent to more than 3,000
cubic meters per capita and year.

• In 1995, total water withdrawal was estimated at 12.5 km3, or less than 3 percent of
available resources. 76 percent of water was used for agriculture, 11 percent for
municipal water supply and 13 percent for industries. Thus only less than 1% of
available water resources is used for drinking water supply.
Health and Education
• Malaysia generally has an efficient and widespread system of health
care, operating a two-tier health care system consisting of both a
government base universal healthcare system and a co-existing
private healthcare system.

• Infant mortality rate – a standard in determining the overall efficiency

of healthcare – in 2005 was 10, comparing favourably with the United
States and western Europe.

• Life expectancy at birth in 2005 was 74 years

• Although education is the responsibility of the Federal Government,

each state and federal territory has an Education Department to co-
ordinate educational matters in its territory.
• The education system is divided into preschool
education, primary education, secondary education,
post-secondary education and tertiary education.

• It is further divided into public and private education.

• Education may be obtained from the multilingual public

school system, which provides free education for all
Malaysians, or private schools, or through
homeschooling.
GDP

• The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia was

worth 354.35 billion US dollars in 2018.

• The GDP value of Malaysia represents 0.57 percent

of the world economy.

• GDP in Malaysia averaged 91.79 USD Billion from

1960 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 354.35
USD Billion in 2018 and a record low of 1.90 USD
Billion in 1961.
Tourism
• Malaysia is ranked 9th in the world for tourist arrivals

• In an effort to diversify the economy and make Malaysia's economy

less dependent on exports, the government pushed to increase
tourism in Malaysia. As a result, tourism has become Malaysia's
third largest source of foreign exchange income, and accounted for
7% of Malaysia's economy as of 2005

• The Philippines is the 8th highest source of tourists with 396,062 on

the year 2018
Religion and Culture
• Malaysia is a multicultural and multiconfessional country, whose
official religion is Islam.

• As of the 2010 Population and Housing Census, 61.3 percent of the

population practices Islam; 19.8 percent Buddhism; 9.2 percent
Christianity; 6.3 percent Hinduism; and 3.4 percent traditional
Chinese religions. The remainder is accounted for by other faiths,
including Animism, Folk religion, Sikhism, Baha'i Faith and other
belief systems.
On Culture
• The Malaysian government defined Malaysian culture through
the issuance of the "1971 National Culture Policy".

– It defines three principles as guidelines for Malaysian culture: that it is based on

the cultures of indigenous people; that if elements from other cultures are judged
suitable and reasonable they may be considered Malaysian culture; and that
Islam will be an important part of national culture

• Malaysia is a multi–ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society,

and the many ethnic groups in Malaysia maintain separate
cultural identities.

• Substantial influence exists from the Chinese and Indian

cultures, dating back to when trade with those countries began
in the area. Other cultures that heavily influenced that of
Malaysia include Persian, Arabic, and British.
Government and Foreign Relations
• The Government of Malaysia officially the Federal Government of Malaysia
is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the
legislative branch, which is based in the national capital of Kuala Lumpur.

• Malaysia is a federation of 13 states operating within a constitutional monarchy

under the Westminster parliamentary system and is categorised as a
representative democracy.

• The federal government of Malaysia adheres to and is created by the Federal

Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of the land.

• The federal government adopts the principle of separation of powers under

Article 127 of the Federal Constitution,and has three branches: executive,
legislature and judiciary.The state governments in Malaysia also have their
respective executive and legislative bodies. The judicial system in Malaysia is
a federalised court system operating uniformly throughout the country.
• Since 1969, Malaysia's foreign policy is officially based on the
principle of neutrality and maintaining peaceful relations with all
countries, regardless of their ideology or political system, and to
further develop relations with other countries in the region

• Malaysia together with the Philippines is a founding member of the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

• Malaysia is also a founding member of the Organisation of the

Islamic Conference (now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)

• Malaysia is affiliated with the United Nations and many of its

specialised agencies, including UNESCO, World Bank, International
Monetary Fund, International Atomic Energy Agency; General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
Military Component
• The Malaysian Armed Forces are the military of Malaysia, consists of three
branches, namely the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal
Malaysian Air Force.

• Manpower: Available for military service15,000,000, age 18–49 (2017 est);

Fit for military service12,425,000, age 18–49 (2017 est); Active
personnel110,000 (2019); Reserve personnel 310,000(2019)

• Military Budget: MYR15.1 bn (US$3.6 b) FY2017

• Joint exercises and war games also been held with several countries
including the Philippines to secure their maritime border and tackle issues
such as illegal immigration, piracy and smuggling.[

• Previously there are fears that extremist militants activities in the Muslim
areas of the southern Philippines could spill over into Malaysia. Due to this,
Malaysia began to increase its border security
• Malaysian Troops deployed in Southern Philippines as a
part of monitoring force agreed upon by both the
Philippine Government and Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF).
Border and International Disputes
with the Philippines
• The Malaysia–Philippines border is a maritime boundary located in the
South China, Sulu and Celebes Seas. It separates the Malaysian state of
Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo, and the Sulu Islands of the
southern Philippines.

• The Philippines and Malaysia are both involved in ongoing disputes over
ownership of the Spratly Islands and the Philippines has a claim on the
eastern Sabah in northern Borneo though this is currently not being
actively pursued.

• The Spratly Islands are disputed by many states in the area, and a large
portion of the South China Sea is claimed by China. Unlike its neighbours
of Vietnam and the Philippines, Malaysia historically avoided conflicts with
China. However, after the encroachment of Chinese ships in Malaysian
territorial waters, Malaysia has become active in condemning China
Terrorism Policies
• The National Security Council, Malaysia's top policy-making body with
regard to national security, defined terrorism as the unlawful use of
threat or the use of force or terror or any other attack by person, group or
state regardless of objective or justification aim at other state, its citizens
or their properties and its vital services with the intention of creating fear,
intimidation and thus forcing government or organisation to follow their
impressed will including those act in support directly or indirectly (refer to
Directive No. 18, issued by the National Security Council)

• Malaysia's policy on terrorism is clearly stipulated in Directive No. 18

(Revised) issued by the National Security Council. Malaysia is putting
the emphasis on: (1) Denouncing any form of terrorist acts;(2)
Protection of hostages' life and property; (3) Preference for negotiated
solutions; (4) No exchange of hostage to resolve the crisis; and (5) Strike
action as a last resort following failure of negotiation
 Analysis and Recommendation
• Despite religious differences (Malaysia is mostly Muslim, while the Philippines is
predominantly Roman Catholic), Malaysia and the Philippines share a one-of-a-
kind relationship rooted on the bases of geography, ethnicity, and political
aspirations.

• The Philippines can capitalize on the fact that the people of the Philippines and
Malaysia have a long history of cultural and political relations.

• In 1959, shortly after Federation of Malaya, the predecessor state of Malaysia, became
independent, the Philippines established a legation in Kuala Lumpur.

• Both countries are current members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the Asian
Union. The ASEAN was founded in 8 August 1967 by five Southeast Asian states including then
Malaya (now Malaysia) and the Philippines.

• The Philippines and Malaysia have jointly coordinated with each other on
securing their respective maritime borders in Southern Mindanao. Cooperation
can further be enhanced through joint trainings and exchange of skills with each
other’s military forces and coast guard agencies.
• Aside from border control, the Philippines and Malaysia can enhance maritime
cooperation through joint search and rescue trainings, exercises, and
simulations.

• Malaysia has contributed to bringing peace in Mindanao as part of the monitoring

force in the peace process between the Philippines and the MILF. The
Philippines and Malaysia armed forces can elevate their relationship and alliance
through joint multinational civil military operations such as civic actions in the far
flung areas of Mindanao. Reservists may be tapped to provide technical services
such as legal aid, and medical consultations.

• Malaysia and the Philippines have a shared interest in pressuring Indonesia

through diplomatic means on the issue of forest fires that has resulted to poor air
quality and haze in Kuala Lumpur and in Visayas and Mindanao during the last
week of September 2019.

• The Philippines may tap the potential of increasing tourist arrivals from Malaysia
through cooperation with Malaysia on reciprocal incentives for tourists from each
other’s countries such as through telecommunications (phone call and
data/internet usage reciprocity).
• Further improve diplomatic cooperation to strengthen linkages and
relationships between countries to uphold peace amongst all despite
border and international disputes in the South China Sea and on the
issue of Sabah

• Enhance cooperation in the South China Sea insofar as interests of

both parties are common in countering the influence and pressure
from China

• Explore further enhancement of bilateral trade on local products and

lifting of customs duties and tariffs insofar as it is beneficial on both
country’s economies

• The Philippines may consider Malaysia as a source of military

equipment for the upgrading of capabilities for its armed forces.
• Per recent data, the military expenditure of the Philippines is less
than the military expenditure of Malaysia. The Philippines may
consider increasing its expenditure for military spending.

• The Philippines and Malaysia have a common interest in keeping

terrorism at bay. Thus, it may cooperate with each other towards
this end through exchange of intelligence and information,
cooperation between police and military forces, and high level talks,
in order to prevent and address terrorism.

• The Philippines may learn from the experiences of Malaysia in

upgrading its Public Mass Transportation, Infrastructure and
Telecommunications capabilities.
 References
• "2017 Malaysia Military Strength". globalfirepower.com. 22 March 2018.

• "About the Malaysian Government". Government of Malaysia. 28 August 2018.

• Baten, Jörg (2016). A History of the Global Economy. From 1500 to the Present.
Cambridge University Press. p. 290

• Earthtrends Country Profile:Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems – Malaysia,

2003

• Encyclopedia of Nations, Malaysia Infrastructure, Power and Communications accessed

on 12 October 2019 at https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-
Pacific/Malaysia-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-
COMMUNICATIONS.html#ixzz627QNaRa6

• Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Aquastat: Malaysia
• "Formation of Malaysia 16 September 1963". National Archives of Malaysia.
• Jeong Chun Hai @ Ibrahim, & Nor Fadzlina Nawi. (2012). Principles of Public
Administration: Malaysian Perspectives. Kuala Lumpur: Pearson Publishers.
ISBN 978-967-349-233-6

• "Malaysia announces 5.3% defence budget increase - Jane's 360". www.janes.com.

Archived from the original on 7 March 2018.

• "Malaysia bans opening of new universities". Investvine.com. 12 February 2013.

• "Malaysia's Foreign Policy". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Malaysia). 21 September

2010.

• Malaysia GDP, Trading Economics, accessed on 12 October 2019

• M'sia is ninth most visited in the world in UNWTO list". The Star. 7 February 2012.

• "Member States". Organisation of the Islamic Conference. 26 October 2010

• "Overview". Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Archived from the original on 9
January 2008.

• "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristic Report 2010

(Updated: 05/08/2011)". Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 11 March 2017.

• "Taburan Penduduk dan Ciri-ciri Asas Demografi" (PDF). Jabatan Perangkaan

Malaysia, 13 November 2013, p. 82.

• "UNICEF website for data from 2005". Unicef.org. 21 February 2012.

• Worldometers elaboration of the latest United Nations data accessed on 12 October

2019 at https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/malaysia-population/