Constitution of Malaysia (1957)
The Merdeka charter, Malay specials and Westminster parliament in federation.
Overview
Enacted for independence August 31, 1957 and recast for Malaysia in 1963, the Malaysian Constitution is supreme law establishing a constitutional monarchy rotating among nine Malay rulers every five years, a Westminster parliament, and a federal structure of states. Article 153 empowers the Yang di Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of Malays and natives, the constitutional core of the bumiputra policy. Islam is the religion of the federation while other faiths may be practised in peace and harmony, Article 3. Sedition law effectively shields these sensitive articles from questioning, one of the more restrictive free speech settlements among commonwealth constitutions.
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