93-477: [REDACTED] Look up durbar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Durbar may refer to: Conference of Rulers , a council of Malay monarchs Durbar festival , a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria Durbar floor plate , a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance on its upper surface Durbar (court) ,
186-513: A kris (a traditional Malay dagger), while warning the non-Bumiputra not to attack Malay rights and " ketuanan Melayu " (translated variously as Malay supremacy or dominance). His action was applauded by the UMNO delegates. Then Higher Education Minister Shafie Salleh also stated that he would ensure the amount of new Malay students admitted would always exceed the old quotas set, and that UiTM would remain an all-Bumiputra institution. At present,
279-434: A Bumiputera and a non-Bumiputera recipient of the award is eligible to receive: The cash payment rate has been raised to RM 2,500 per person from 1995 and RM 5,000 per person from 2009. In 2018, the prize was raised to RM7,000. A total of 19 IPTAs and two graduates for each IPTA have received this award. A total of 567 graduates have received this award. As of 2016, there are less than 600 recipients of award, fewer than
372-813: A Chairman and four members appointed by the Conference of Rules between the Menteri Besar and the Chief Minister for a period of two years and is eligible for a reappointment. The Chairman chairs all Board Meetings and meet at least three times a year and at any meeting of the Board, the Chairman and two members shall be quorum. The Keeper of the Rulers' Seal is the secretary of the Board. In 2019, The Board of this Fund consisteds of: The main function of
465-572: A Malay middle class and improving Malaysian standards of living without compromising the non-Bumiputra share of the economy in absolute terms; indeed, statistics indicate that the Chinese and Indian middle classes also grew under the NEP, albeit not as much as the Malays'. It has also been contended that the NEP defused racial tensions by eradicating the perception of the Chinese as the mercantile class and
558-626: A Malay class of entrepreneurs and business tycoons. However, allegations of corruption and nepotism plagued Mahathir's administration, and Mahathir's goal of creating a new class of Malay tycoons was criticised for ignoring the rural Malays, who comprised the majority of the Malay population. Under Mahathir, quotas for entry into public universities were enforced, with some universities such as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) admitting only Bumiputra students. In 1998, then Education Minister Najib Tun Razak (son of Tun Abdul Razak who implemented
651-537: A Malaysian." Lee's statements upset many, especially politicians from the Alliance. Finance Minister Tan Siew Sin called Lee the "greatest, disruptive force in the entire history of Malaysia and Malaya." Tunku Abdul Rahman considered Lee to be too extremist in his views, while other UMNO politicians thought Lee was simply taking advantage of the situation to pander to Chinese Malaysians . PAP-UMNO relations were chilled further when UMNO officials publicly backed
744-580: A Royal Education Award ( Malay : Anugerah Pelajaran DiRaja ), also called Pingat Jaya Cemerlang . It is one of the oldest and most prestigious awards for any graduate or scholar achievable in Malaysia. The purpose of the award is to give the highest recognition to a graduate whose quality and academic achievement are the best and meet the following criteria: The Pingat Jaya Cemerlang was first introduced in 1989 for seven Public Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA) of two graduates for every IPTA comprising
837-682: A fixed order based on the seniority of the Malay rulers at the time of independence in 1957. In policy-making, if the Conference of Rulers is involved, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is constitutionally required to consult with not only the Prime Minister and the members of the Conference, but also with the Menteri Besar/Chief Minister/Premier of each state. The Conference's role in amending the Constitution
930-720: A historical Mughal court in India; also used for a ceremonial gathering under the British Raj Darbar Sahib Hall , the main room in a Gurdwara, in which the Sache Patishah (True Emperor) Sri Guru Granth Sahib is placed Delhi Durbar , assemblies in Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India under the British Raj Durbar (horse) , a French racehorse, winner of
1023-506: A member of the Conference be unable to attend a meeting, their state must designate a temporary replacement; this process is set out by each state's own constitution, and therefore varies. Once elected, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong delegates their state representation in the Conference to the Regent they have selected to rule in their stead in their home state. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong still attends
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#17327650414951116-463: A more equitable policy. The NEP and other privileges accorded to the Bumiputra under Article 153 have been noted for not explicitly seeking to eradicate poverty among the Malays, but instead largely aiming to improve the Malays' overall share of the economy, even if this share is held by a small number of Malays. However, the NEP has also been defended as having been largely successful in creating
1209-462: A prominent Malay Member of Parliament from the state of Terengganu . The Malay press, most of which is owned by UMNO, also ran articles condemning the questioning of the social contract. Lim was adamant, asking in an interview "How do you expect non-Malays to pour their hearts and souls into the country, and to one day die for it if you keep harping on this? Flag-waving and singing the ' Negaraku ' (the national anthem) are rituals, while true love for
1302-536: A report should be presented to the appropriate legislature (currently the Parliament of Malaysia ) and that the "legislature should then determine either to retain or to reduce any quota or to discontinue it entirely." Originally there was no reference made to other indigenous peoples of Malaysia (then Malaya) such as the Orang Asli , but with the union of Malaya with Singapore , Sabah and Sarawak in 1963,
1395-578: A special class of citizens. Some took the latter view, like Singaporean politician Lee Kuan Yew of the People's Action Party (PAP), who publicly questioned the need for Article 153 in Parliament, and called for a " Malaysian Malaysia ". In a speech, Lee said: "According to history, Malays began to migrate to Malaysia in noticeable numbers only about 700 years ago. Of the 39% Malays in Malaysia today, about one-third are comparatively new immigrants like
1488-484: A year. Should the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or at least three members of the Conference request it, however, the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal may convene a meeting of the Conference of Rulers. Meetings will also be convened no later than four weeks before the end of the five-year reign of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong , or whenever there is a vacancy in either their seat or that of their deputy. The Conference generally meets at
1581-546: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Conference of Rulers [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Race and politics The Conference of Rulers (also Council of Rulers or Durbar , Malay : Majlis Raja-Raja ; Jawi : مجليس راج٢ ) in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states , and the governors (or Yang di-Pertua Negeri ) of
1674-462: Is possible for non-Bumiputra to enter matriculation, and Bumiputra who prefer to take the STPM may do so, in practice, it is difficult for non-Bumiputra to gain entry into the matriculation stream. The meritocracy policy itself was criticised from both sides of the political divide, with some parts of UMNO calling it "discrimination," leading to an "uneven playing field," and asked for the restoration of
1767-466: The 1964 racial riots in Singapore that killed 36 people. Eventually, Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to ask Singapore, through Lee and some of his closest confidantes, to secede from Malaysia. Eventually, Lee (reluctantly) agreed to do so, and Singapore became an independent nation in 1965, with Lee as its first Prime Minister . The Constitution of Singapore contains an article, Article 152, that names
1860-595: The Internal Security Act (ISA). In 1987 under Operation Lalang (literally "weeding operation"), several leaders of the DAP, including Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh , were held under the ISA. It is widely believed this was due to their calling for the NEP and other Malay privileges to be reviewed. Others have questioned the constitutionality of the NEP. In 2005, the issue of the Constitution and its provisions
1953-465: The Istana Negara (National Palace), but meetings may be held at other venues should the members of the Conference consent. Meetings have been held on occasion at various state palaces, a State Assembly, and at hotel resorts. Each Malay ruler generally takes turns chairing each meeting. The agenda is generally outlined and made known to the Rulers prior to the meeting. During the meeting, none of
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#17327650414952046-489: The May 13 Incident it remained unreviewed. A new expiration date of 1991 for the NEP was set, twenty years after its implementation. Mahathir, who had been a strong supporter of affirmative action for the Malays since the late 1960s, expounded upon his views in his book The Malay Dilemma while in political exile. The book argued that stronger measures were needed to improve the Malays' economic position. It also contended that
2139-471: The Prime Minister . Every meeting of the Conference is chaired by one of the nine Malay rulers, who is appointed rotationally. The National Library has called the Conference of Rulers "the supreme institution in the country", which would mean even Parliament is subordinate to it. However, its role is de facto largely symbolic, as even the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong generally follows
2232-654: The Tan Sri title, which had 886 recipients as of 2015. In 2006, the Public Service Department (PSD) implemented a programme called the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Scholarship ( Malay : Biasiswa Yang di-Pertuan Agong ) or the King Scholarship, following the decision of the Prime Minister on 3 November 2004, which was approved by the Conference of Rulers meeting on 16 March 2005. This scholarship
2325-456: The ethnocentric implementation of affirmative action policies which benefit only the Bumiputra , who comprise a majority of the population. Critics also consider the preferential treatment to be against both meritocracy and egalitarianism . Technically, discussing the repeal of Article 153 is illegal —even in Parliament , although it was originally drafted as a temporary provision to
2418-592: The 1914 Epsom Derby Durbar (title) , a title of honour in princely India Durbar Square See also [ edit ] Darbar (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Durbar . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Durbar&oldid=1227819218 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2511-506: The 1970s, substantial economic reforms ( Malaysian New Economic Policy ) were enacted to address the economic imbalance. In the 1980s and 1990s, more affirmative action was also implemented to create a Malay class of entrepreneurs. Public opposition to such policies appeared to wither away after the 13 May incident , with parties running on a platform of reducing Bumiputra privileges losing ground in Parliamentary elections. However, in
2604-527: The Alliance and forming a new government. The largely Chinese opposition Democratic Action Party and Gerakan later secured a police permit for a victory parade through a fixed route in Kuala Lumpur , the capital city of Malaysia. However, the rowdy procession deviated from its route and headed through the Malay district of Kampung Baru , jeering at the inhabitants. While the Gerakan party issued an apology
2697-637: The Alliance would become the Barisan Nasional and Tunku Abdul Rahman later became the first Prime Minister of Malaysia . When succeeding to the UMNO Presidency, Tunku had expressed doubts about the loyalty of the non-Malays to Malaya, and as a result, insisted that this be settled before they be granted citizenship. However, he also stated that " For those who love and feel they owe undivided loyalty to this country, we will welcome them as Malayans. They must truly be Malayans, and they will have
2790-504: The Bumiputra as a higher class of Malaysian citizen. Many Chinese and Indians also felt unfairly treated since some of them had been there for generations – since the mid-19th century – and yet until the late 1950s, they had still not been granted Malaysian citizenship. However, a majority of the Malays during that time believed that the Chinese and the Indians came to Malaya for economic purposes only, working at plantations and mines. In
2883-461: The Bumiputra privileges both enshrined in Article 153 and as set out by other acts of law, remain in force. Many opposition parties including, the DAP and the People's Justice Party (PKR), have pledged themselves to undoing the NEP. The DAP has argued that it does not have anything against the special position of Bumiputra as set out in Article 153, but seeks to undo the government's policies such as
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2976-410: The Chinese in particular were generally congregated in urban areas ( towns and cities resulting from trade and mining ) and possessed relatively greater incomes and wealth , whilst the Bumiputra were mostly living in rural areas with meagre incomes and little wealth, as they commonly engaged in subsistence agriculture and artisanal fishing . The first clause of the article provides that
3069-785: The Conference is the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal. The Royal Scholarship Fund ( Malay : Kumpulan Wang Biasiswa Raja-Raja ) was established on 31 August 1949 by the 8th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers. In accordance with that, a rule has been made and named the Regulations of the Royal Scholarship Funds. The Trustee Meeting of the Royal Scholarship Fund was changed to the Royal Scholarship Fund and Governors (Malay: Kumpulan Wang Biasiswa Raja-Raja dan Gabenor-Gabenor ). On 12 May 1983, an Act of Act 284
3162-422: The Constitution was amended to provide similar privileges for the indigenous peoples of East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), grouping them with the Malays as Bumiputra . The 20-point agreement , or the 20-point memorandum, is a list of 20 points drawn up by North Borneo , proposing terms for its incorporation into the new federation as the state of Sabah, during negotiations prior to the formation of Malaysia. In
3255-662: The Constitution" . The government suspended Parliament and the executive branch governed on its own through the National Operations Council (NOC) until 1971. The NOC proposed amendments to the Sedition Act that made the questioning of Article 153, among others illegal. These amendments were passed by Parliament as law when it reconvened in 1971. During the period of NOC governance, the Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP)
3348-444: The Constitution. Despite this prohibition on discussion (in order to ostensibly manage race relations , thus appearing to defuse and avoid ethnic hatred , ethnic conflict and ethnic violence ), the article is hotly debated, both privately and publicly among Malaysians , against the continued perpetual retention and implementation of the article although ostensibly maintaining support for the special race-based privileges. Nevertheless,
3441-586: The Governor of the Union or the ruler of any state as necessary. The first Conference of Rulers was convened on 31 August 1948, the year the British established the semi-autonomous Federation of Malaya , and was attended by the rulers of all nine Malay states. The Conference of Rulers continued after independence, when it was formally established under the Constitution. The membership of the Conference depends on
3534-498: The Malay Rulers take precedence above another and all are considered equal. Even the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has no precedence above the Malay Rulers and serves to represent the federal government. However, a Ruler who has been on the throne for a longer period of time is considered more senior and their advice is widely respected due to the wealth of their experience, but this advice does not have to be followed. The Secretary of
3627-570: The Malay, have the right as Malaysian citizens to go up to the level of training and education that the more competitive societies, the non-Malay society, has produced. That is what must be done, isn't it? Not to feed them with this obscurantist doctrine that all they have got to do is to get Malay rights for the few special Malays and their problem has been resolved." He also lamented "Malaysia—to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be
3720-702: The Malays as "indigenous people" of Singapore and requiring special safeguarding of their rights and privileges. However, the article specifies no policies for such safeguarding. On 13 May 1969, a few days after the 10 May general election, a race riot broke out. In the preceding election, parties like the Democratic Action Party (DAP, formerly the Malaysian branch of the PAP) and Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia , which opposed special Bumiputra privileges, had made substantial gains, coming close to defeating
3813-535: The Malays were the "definitive" people and thus "rightful owners" of Malaysia, which also entitled them to their privileges but he also criticized the Malays for being "easily forgetful". Mahathir was rehabilitated under the second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak who became prime minister in 1981. During Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, the NEP, after its expiry, was replaced by the National Development Policy (NDP), that sought to create
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3906-585: The Malaysia Bill of the Malaysia Agreement some of the twenty points were incorporated, to varying degrees, into what became the Constitution of Malaysia; others were merely accepted orally, thus not gaining legal status. Point 12: Special position of indigenous races, in principle the indigenous races of North Borneo should enjoy special rights analogous to those enjoyed by Malays in Malaya, but
3999-440: The Malaysian population), the status of the Malay rulers, and the provisions for Malaysian citizenship. These restrictions applied to all Malaysians, including members of parliament, over-ruling their parliamentary immunity . In addition, Article 159(5), which governed amendments to the Constitution, was also amended to require the provisions of the Constitution relating to the "sensitive issues" mentioned earlier be amended only with
4092-444: The NEP that they believe discriminate unfairly against the non-Bumiputras. The PKR, which was founded to fight for the release of former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim , who had been detained for charges of corruption and sodomy after he publicly opposed Mahathir's policies, also has criticised the NEP. After Anwar's release in 2004, he criticised the NEP as having failed the Malays and stated that he would seek its replacement by
4185-643: The NEP) stated that without quotas, only 5% of undergraduates in public universities would be Malays. Najib argued this justified the need for the continuation of quotas. These policies also mandate that publicly listed companies must set aside 30% of equity for Bumiputra; discounts must be provided for automobile and real estate purchases; an amount must be set aside for Bumiputra in housing projects; companies submitting bids for government projects must be Bumiputra-owned and that Approved Permits (APs) for importing automobiles be preferentially given to Bumiputra. The equity in
4278-569: The NEP. In 2003, Mahathir began stressing that Malays needed to abandon their "crutches," and implemented a policy of " meritocracy ". However, this policy by and large streams Bumiputra into what is termed matriculation , as a prelude to university admission, whereby students take a course and later sit for a test set by the instructor. The non-Bumiputra generally sit for the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) standardised examination to enter university. Although it
4371-434: The Public Service Department (PSD). The scholarship was first introduced in 1967 initially to three students and the value of scholarship is according to the rate of Public Service Department 's scholarship with an extra of 200 Ringgit Malaysia for each student. The total number of students offered the scholarship from 1967 to 2013 was 415. The 145th Conference of the Rulers (2nd Day) on 6 November 1988, agreed to create
4464-535: The Tunku had given the Chinese "too much face" and that the responsibility for the deaths of the people in the riot rested squarely on the Tunku Abdul Rahman's shoulders. Mahathir was expelled from UMNO not long after, and Home Affairs Minister Ismail Abdul Rahman warned that "[t]hese ultras believe in the wild and fantastic theory of absolute dominion by one race over the other communities, regardless of
4557-482: The article is viewed as a sensitive matter by many, with politicians who are in favour or opposed to it often being labelled as racist and engaging in social exclusion . The article is primarily seen as a continuation of previous laws made by the British to protect the indigenous peoples from being overwhelmed by the immigration of Chinese and Indian workers into Malaya . In the years after independence in 1957 ,
4650-468: The consent of the Conference of Rulers. This regulation would also apply to Article 159(5). These changes met with strong opposition from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and People's Progressive Party (PPP), both of which had called for changes in government policies related to those "sensitive issues" mentioned during their campaigns in the 1969 general election . The changes were criticised as undermining parliamentary supremacy , and some considered
4743-469: The different races' privileges—those who defend it and Article 153 often define the social contract as providing the Indians and Chinese with citizenship in exchange for the Malays' special rights or ketuanan Melayu . Lim was severely criticised by many Malay politicians, including Khairy Jamaluddin , the Prime Minister's son-in-law and Deputy Chairman of the UMNO Youth wing, and Ahmad Shabery Cheek ,
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#17327650414954836-496: The drafting of the constitution, they controlled only 4% of the economy, with much of the rest being held by Chinese and foreign interests. As a result, the Reid Commission had recommended the drafting of Article 153 to address this economic imbalance. But there continued to exist substantial political opposition to the economic reforms designed to aid the Malays. Some contended that Article 153 appeared to unduly privilege
4929-409: The election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and stand as candidates. The governors of the other states ( Penang , Malacca , Sabah , and Sarawak ) do not participate when the Conference of Rulers meets to decide matters related to the election or removal of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or their deputy, those related to privileges of the Malay rulers and those related to the observance of Islam. Should
5022-748: The establishment of the Board of Fund is to provide scholarships, financial assistance and other assistance to students who are studying at Public Higher Education Institutions to take on the First Degree only. The number of students who have been offered scholarships are limited to the fund capacity of the time This scholarship is offered to students who have excellent results in the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia / Matriculation examinations only. Candidates to be offered are in various fields of study such as medicine, technology, science and literature. All candidates are received from
5115-424: The first decade of the 21st century, debate was revived when several government politicians made controversial statements on the nature of Malay privileges as set out by Article 153. The article has been a source of controversy since the early days of Malaysia. In particular, it was not entirely clear if Article 153 was predicated on the Malays' economic status at the time, or if it was meant to recognise Bumiputra as
5208-527: The four Federated Malay States of Perak , Selangor , Negeri Sembilan , and Pahang were represented at the Durbar, which first convened in 1897. The purpose of the Durbar, as described by Resident-General Frank Swettenham , was to "bring home to the Malays, in the most striking manner possible, the reality of federation". After World War II, a similar body called the Council of Sultans was constituted under
5301-603: The government should act "in accordance with the provisions of this Article". The Constitution was drafted on the basis of a report from the Reid Commission . The commission, which had been formed to lay the groundwork for a Constitution in the run-up to Malaysia's pending independence, released the report in 1957 as the Report of the Federation of Malaya Constitutional Commission 1957 or The Reid Commission Report. In
5394-505: The issuing of permits or licences for the operation of certain businesses " chiefly concerned with road haulage and passenger vehicles for hire. " In addition, there were " scholarships , bursaries and other forms of aid for educational purpose" where preference was given to Malays. Although the Commission reported it did not find opposition to the continuance of the existing privileges for a certain length of time, it stated that " there
5487-533: The legislation to insufficiently clarify the bans on discussion; in particular, it was questioned if the ban on discussion applied to Article 159(5) as well. Others, such as The Times of London in the United Kingdom, lambasted the constitutional amendments, stating they would "preserve as immutable the feudal system dominating Malay society" by "giving this archaic body of petty constitutional monarchs incredible blocking power", suggesting that this move
5580-404: The meetings of the Conference, though they do so intermittently, usually only when the Conference would be discussing national policy or electing a new Yang di-Pertuan Agong. When attending Conference meetings, each ruler and governor is accompanied by the Menteri Besar or Chief Minister (for states with a governor) of their state. When the Yang di-Pertuan Agong attends, they are accompanied by
5673-399: The nation lies in the heart." A year earlier, Abdullah had given a speech where he mentioned the most "significant aspect" of the social contract as "the agreement by the indigenous peoples to grant citizenship to the immigrant Chinese and Indians". Although Abdullah went on to state that the character of the nation changed to "one that Chinese and Indian citizens could also call their own,"
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#17327650414955766-490: The national language, and the clause governing the entrenchment of such Articles. The Conference of Rulers has its origins in the 1897 Durbar , the Council of Rulers for the Federated Malay States , which were not under the British colonial regime, with the British having an advisory role on only a very few administrative items and the full authority to govern remaining with the sultans of those states. Only
5859-485: The next day, UMNO announced a counter-procession starting from the Menteri Besar of Selangor , Harun Idris 's house on Jalan Raja Muda. Reportedly, the gathering crowd was informed that Malays on their way to the procession had been attacked by Chinese in Setapak, several miles to the north. The angry protestors swiftly wreaked revenge by killing two passing Chinese motorcyclists, and the riot began. The official death toll
5952-547: The opposition Singapore Alliance Party in Singapore's 1963 general election and PAP responded in turn by fielding several candidates in the Malaysian federal elections in 1964. These acts were seen by each party as challenges of the other's authority in their respective domains, and in violation of previous agreements made by the PAP and UMNO not to contest each other's elections until Malaysia had matured enough. The tension led to
6045-694: The other four states. It was officially established by Article 38 of the Constitution of Malaysia , and is the only such institution in the world, according to the Malaysian National Library. Its main responsibility is the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) and his deputy, the Timbalan Yang di-Pertuan Agong , which occurs every five years or when the positions fall vacant (either through death, resignation, or removal from office). Although its position in
6138-407: The other races ever question the rights of Malays on this land." The year before, UMNO Youth Information Chief Azmi Daim had said, "In Malaysia, everybody knows that Malays are the masters of this land. We rule this country as provided for in the federal constitution. Any one who touches upon Malay affairs or criticizes Malays is [offending] our sensitivities." At the 2005 AGM, Hishamuddin brandished
6231-589: The others. " The Reid Commission reported that Tunku Abdul Rahman and the Malay Rulers had asked that " in an independent Malaya all nationals should be accorded equal rights, privileges and opportunities and there must not be discrimination on grounds of race and creed. " At that time, Tunku Abdul Rahman was the leader of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which led the Alliance Party coalition . Eventually
6324-560: The perception of the Malays as farmers. Article 10 (4) of the Constitution permits Parliament to make it illegal to question, among others, Article 153 of the Constitution. Under the Sedition Act, questioning Article 153 is illegal—even for Members of Parliament, who usually have the freedom to discuss anything without fear of external censure. The government can also arbitrarily detain anyone it desires theoretically for sixty days, but in reality for an undetermined length of time, under
6417-471: The present Malaya formula in this regard is not necessarily applicable in North Borneo. The scope of Article 153 is limited by Article 136, which requires that civil servants be treated impartially regardless of race. Although the Bumiputra have always been the largest portion of Malaysia's population (about 65%), their economic position has also tended to be precarious. As late as 1970, 13 years after
6510-411: The process of elective monarchy is unique, the Conference of Rulers also plays a role in amending the Constitution of Malaysia and some other policies, in particular, those Articles which have been "entrenched", namely those pertaining to the status of the rulers, the special privileges of the indigenous Bumiputra (see Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia ), the status of the Malay language as
6603-586: The protection of Malay privileges. In 2005, several Malays, led by Hishamuddin at the UMNO Annual General Meeting (AGM) argued that the 30% equity target of the NEP had yet to be met and called on the government to restore the NEP as the New National Agenda (NNA). At the 2004 AGM, Badruddin had warned that questioning Article 153 and "Malay rights" would be akin to stirring up a hornet 's nest, and declared, "Let no one from
6696-603: The publicly listed companies is disbursed by the Trade Ministry, and sold to selected Bumiputra at substantial discounts. However, the recipients frequently sell their stake in the companies immediately. The policies continued the Bumiputra advantage in higher education. In practice, however, most of these privileges went to Malays, and non-Malay Bumiputras, like the Orang Asli or aboriginal peoples, did not appear to have benefited much from Article 153 or policies such as
6789-855: The quota system that set the ratio of Bumiputra to non-Bumiputra students in public institutions at 55 to 45. Others, however, branded meritocracy as a sham due to its division of students into the two different streams. In 2003, Mahathir was succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi , who, like his predecessor, warned the Malays against over-relying on their privileges. "A continuing reliance on crutches will further enfeeble [the nation], and we may eventually end up in wheelchairs." However, within UMNO, some, such as Education Minister Hishamuddin bin Hussein – Hussein Onn's son, and UMNO Deputy Permanent Chairman Badruddin Amiruldin , appeared to disagree and in turn argued for
6882-429: The religion of Islam" may be a 'Malay' ( orang Melayu ) in the sense of the constitution (for other contexts, see the article at Malays (ethnic group) ). This restriction, if not those about "conform[ing] to Malay custom" and "habitually speak[ing] the Malay language", would seem to affect many Orang Asli , a group defined in Article 160 but not mentioned in Article 153. The term bumiputera is neither used nor defined in
6975-443: The report, the Reid Commission stated that " provision should be made in the Constitution for the 'safeguarding of the special position of the Malays and the legitimate interests of the other Communities'. " However, the Commission " found it difficult [...] to reconcile the terms of reference if the protection of the special position of the Malays signified the granting of special privileges, permanently, to one community only and not to
7068-420: The same rights and privileges as the Malays. " The Commission found the existing privileges accorded to the Malays included the allocation of extensive Malay land reservations. In addition, the Commission discovered quotas for admission to the public services with a general rule that " not more than one-quarter of new entrants [to a particular service] should be non-Malays. " Operation quotas existed in regard to
7161-419: The secretary-general of UMNO, Dato' Syed Ja'afar Albar , who came to Malaya from Indonesia just before the war at the age of more than thirty. Therefore it is wrong and illogical for a particular racial group to think that they are more justified to be called Malaysians and that the others can become Malaysian only through their favour." Lee also criticised the government's policies by stating that "[t]hey,
7254-525: The short-lived Malayan Union . The Council comprised the Governor of the Union, who acted as president, the nine rulers, and the Chief Secretary, Attorney-General and Financial Secretary as ex officio members. The sole functions of the Council were to consider legislation related to Islam (a function carried out by a subcommittee of the Council, comprising only the Muslim members) and to advise
7347-410: The social contract, making the contract alterable only with the agreement of the Conference of Rulers. Some have subsequently described the Conference of Rulers as a symbol of "Malay dominance". The provisions covered were (respectively) those relating to Malay as the national language, the special privileges and rights of the Malays and other indigenous peoples (Bumiputra, constituting more than half
7440-606: The special position of Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak (collectively, "bumiputras") and the second shows how it deals with the legitimate interests of the other communities. Diagram 1: Special Position of Bumiputras [REDACTED] Diagram 2: Legitimate Interests of Other Communities [REDACTED] ^ Terms used in Article 153 to categorise people ('Malays', 'natives') are defined in Articles 160 ( English · Malay ) and 161a ( English · Malay ). Perhaps unintuitively, only "a person who professes
7533-644: The special position of the ' Malays ' and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities" and goes on to specify ways to do this, such as establishing quotas for entry into the civil service , public scholarships and public education . Article 153 is one of the most controversial articles in the Malaysian constitution . Critics consider Article 153 as creating an unnecessary distinction between Malaysians of different ethnic backgrounds, because it has led to
7626-444: The speech went largely unremarked. In the end, Lim stated that the Malay press had blown his comments out of proportion and misquoted him. The issue ended with UMNO Youth chief Hishamuddin Hussein warning people not to "bring up the issue again as it has been agreed upon, appreciated, understood and endorsed by the Constitution." The two diagrams below summarise the provisions of Article 153. The first shows how Article 153 deals with
7719-433: The succession of the Malay sultans, and the appointment of the governors. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the governors, while each state has its own procedure for succession to the throne. One, Negeri Sembilan , is itself an elective monarchy. Only the rulers of the Malay states of Negeri Sembilan, Selangor , Perlis , Terengganu , Kedah , Kelantan , Pahang , Johor , and Perak are permitted to participate in
7812-479: Was also brought up by several politicians within the government itself. Lim Keng Yaik of the Gerakan party, which by now had joined the Barisan Nasional , the ruling coalition, asked for a re-examination of the social contract so that a Bangsa Malaysia (literally 'Malaysian race' or 'Malaysian nation' in the Malay language ) could be achieved. The social contract is the Constitution's provisions with regard to
7905-438: Was approximately 200, although some would later estimate it to be as high as 2,000. The riot was later attributed to the underlying discontent among Malays due to poverty. UMNO Parliamentary backbencher Mahathir Mohamad soon became the face of a movement against Tunku Abdul Rahman, arguing that he had been too accommodative towards the non-Malays. In a letter to the Prime Minister, demanding his resignation, Mahathir argued that
7998-583: Was done separately at the same time in amendments to the Sedition Act). The provisions in question covered the social contract (not to be confused with the philosophy of a social contract between the government and the governed), a quid pro quo agreement between the Bumiputra and the non-Bumiputra. In return for the granting of citizenship to the non-Bumiputra, the Bumiputra were guaranteed special rights (or as some claim, Malay supremacy — ketuanan Melayu ). The amendments thus effectively "entrenched"
8091-450: Was first set out by the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1971, one of the first pieces of legislation passed by Parliament after the catastrophic May 13 Incident , which saw at least 200 deaths after racial rioting in the federal capital of Kuala Lumpur . The Act named Article 152, 153 , and 181, and also Part III of the Constitution as specially protected; any public questioning of these provisions could now be criminalised by Parliament (this
8184-549: Was gazetted and named the Higher Education Scholarship Fund of the Yang di-Pertuan Negeri of the States (Malay: Kumpulan Wang Biasiswa Pengajian Tinggi Raja-Raja dan Yang di-Pertua Yang di-Pertuan Negeri ). Its control and management are placed under the Keeper of the Rulers' Seal who is also secretary of the Fund's Board. The Board of this Fund in accordance with section 5 (1) of Act 284 consists of
8277-515: Was great opposition in some quarters to any increase of the present preferences and to their being continued for any prolonged period. " The Commission recommended that the existing privileges be continued as the " Malays would be at a serious and unfair disadvantage compared with other communities if they were suddenly withdrawn. " However, " in due course the present preferences should be reduced and should ultimately cease. " The Commission suggested that these provisions be revisited in 15 years, and that
8370-490: Was hypocritical in light of Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein 's declaration of "the full realization that important matters must no longer be swept under the carpet..." Nevertheless, despite fierce opposition, the Alliance coalition government passed the constitutional amendments in Parliament without the opposition votes because of its two-thirds Parliamentary majority. The Conference of Rulers generally meets three times
8463-583: Was implemented. The NEP aimed to eradicate poverty irrespective of race by expanding the economic pie so that the Chinese share of the economy would not be reduced in absolute terms but only relatively. The aim was for the Malays to have a 30% equity share of the economy, as opposed to the 4% they held in 1970. Foreigners and Chinese held much of the rest. The NEP appeared to be derived from Article 153 and could be viewed as being in line with its wording. Although Article 153 would have been up for review in 1972, fifteen years after Malaysia's independence in 1957, due to
8556-454: Was introduced to recognize the exceptional skills of candidates wishing to pursue their postgraduate studies (Master's and PhD), particularly in the field of science and technology, either locally or abroad. The inaugural award presentation ceremony of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Scholarship to five candidates for the Master's and Doctoral programmes respectively was held on 29 September 2006. It
8649-546: Was officiated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the National Palace. The recipients were also introduced to the sultans , The Yang di-Pertuan Negeri and the Prime Minister in a special ceremony prior to the banquet in honour of the Conference of Rulers meeting at the National Palace. Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia grants the Yang di-Pertuan Agong ( King of Malaysia ) responsibility for "safeguard[ing]
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