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NEW PROJECTS
Mines Resort Sg. Besi
Putrajaya's Landmark
Kuala Lumpur International Airport Sepang
INTRODUCTION
Malaysia is a federal constitutional
monarchy, consisting of 13 states and 3 federal territories (Kuala Lumpur,
Labuan and Putrajaya). The King is elected for a five-year term among the
nine hereditary sultans of the traditional Malay states. Each of the 13
states has an Executive Council dealing with non-federal matters under a
chief minister (menteri besar). The federal parliament has an upper chamber
(Senate) with 70 members and a lower chamber (House of Representatives) with
193 members. National elections are held every five years. The latest
election was held in November 1999.
The government is sustained by Barisan Nasional, a coalition consisting of
14 parties led by Malay nationalist UMNO (United Malays National
Organisation). Barisan Nasional holds a two-thirds majority in the House of
Representatives, which is required to pass constitutional amendments. The
country's Prime Minister, since 1981, and UMNO President is Dr. Mahathir
Mohamad. The opposition is gathered in a front formed by four parties, the
most important of which is the PAS, the All-Malaysia Islam Party.
Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious country, with
Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnic groups. In religious terms it is
predominantly Islamic, but with strong Christian, Buddhist and Hindu
communities. The Malaysian constitution provides for a system of privileges
favouring the Bumiputra (Malays and aborigines) which is reflected in the
country’s national development plans. In terms of economic welfare, Malaysia
ranks second in South-east Asia, after Singapore, though there are wide
disparities between Kuala Lumpur, other industrialised and tourist-oriented
regions and the most remote parts of the country.
Malaysia's economic performance in 2001 was significantly influenced by the unprecedented external developments during the year that had widespread implications on the global economy. Being a highly open economy, Malaysia was affected by the weak external economic environment. The impact was compounded by the effects of the September 11 incident. Malaysia's strong economic fundamentals and the promotion of domestic sources of growth have however, reduced the impact of the external developments on the domestic economy. Malaysia registered real GDP growth of 0.4% in 2001 amid weak external demand and global slowdown.
During 2001, the mining and quarrying sector recorded a small growth of 0.2% compared with 3.1% in 2000. This is mainly due to an increased production of natural gas by 3.2% as a result of an increase in demand. However, crude oil and tin production decreased during the year. In terms of contribution to the economy, the share of the mining sector to GDP increased slightly to 6.8% compared with 6.6% in 2000.
The manufacturing sector contracted by 5.1%. The construction sector, which utilised a high local content of materials, performed better during the year to record a growth of 2.3%, while the services sector sustained a growth of 4.9% in 2001. The domestic mineral production registered a decrease of 18.5% in total mineral output, valued at RMI.66 billion in 2001 compared with RM2.04 billion in 2000 and RM1.64 billion in 1999. The drop was caused by the lower production of both non-metallic and metallic minerals. In contrast, energy mineral sector, represented by coal, registered an increase of production value compared to year 2000. As in previous years, the non-metallic minerals output value maintained its dominant share of the country's mineral contribution.
Petronas Twin Towers
Parliament Building
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Sepang F1 Circuit
Kuala Lumpur Tower