Prime Minister of Malaysia explained

Post:Prime Minister
Body:Malaysia
Native Name:Malay: Perdana Menteri Malaysia
Malay: {{Script|Arab|ڤردان منتري مليسيا
Insignia:Coat of arms of Malaysia.svg
Insigniasize:100px
Insigniacaption:Coat of arms of Malaysia
Flag:Office-of-Prime-Minister-Of-Malaysia.png
Flagsize:130px
Flagcaption:Emblem of the Prime Minister's Office
Incumbent:Anwar Ibrahim
Incumbentsince:24 November 2022
Department:Government of Malaysia
Prime Minister's Department
Style:Prime Minister

Yang Amat Berhormat

The Right Honourable

His Excellency
Reports To:Parliament
Residence:Seri Perdana, Putrajaya
Seat:Perdana Putra, Putrajaya
Appointer:Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Termlength:Five years, renewable
Constituting Instrument:Constitution of Malaysia
Inaugural:Tunku Abdul Rahman
Deputy:Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia
Salary:RM22,826.65/US$ 5,106 per month[1]

The prime minister of Malaysia (Malay: Perdana Menteri Malaysia; Malay: {{Script/Arabic|ڤردان منتري مليسيا) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister as a member of Parliament (MP) who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. The prime minister is usually the leader of the party winning the most seats in a general election.

After the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the chief minister of the Federation of Malaya, became the first prime minister of Malaysia.

Appointment

According to the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall first appoint a prime minister to preside over the Cabinet. The prime minister is to be a member of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives), and who in his majesty's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House. This person must be a Malaysian citizen, but cannot have obtained their citizenship by means of naturalisation or registration. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint other ministers from either the Dewan Rakyat or Dewan Negara (Senate) with the prime minister's advice.

The prime minister and his cabinet ministers must take and subscribe to the oath of office and allegiance as well as the oath of secrecy in the presence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong before they can exercise functions of office. The Cabinet is collectively accountable to the Parliament of Malaysia. The members of the Cabinet shall not hold any office of profit and engage in any trade, business or profession that will cause a conflict of interest. The Prime Minister's Department (sometimes referred to as the Prime Minister's Office) is the body and ministry in which the prime minister exercises his/her functions and powers.

In the case where a government cannot get its appropriation (budget) legislation passed by the House of Representatives, or when the House passes a vote of "no confidence" in the government, the prime minister is bound by convention to resign immediately. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's choice of replacement prime minister will be dictated by the circumstances. All other ministers shall continue to hold office by the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unless if the appointment of any minister is revoked by his majesty upon the advice of the prime minister. Any minister may resign his office.

Following a resignation in other circumstances, defeat in an election, or the death of a prime minister, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would generally appoint as the new leader of the governing party or coalition as new Prime Minister.

Malaysia uses first-past-the-post-voting system, which means a party or coalition who gets 112 seats in lower house will lead the government.[2]

Powers

See also: Malaysian federal budget. The power of the prime minister is subject to a number of limitations. Prime ministers removed as leader of his or her party, or whose government loses a vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives, must advise a new election of the lower house or resign the office. The defeat of a supply bill (one that concerns the spending of money) or unable to pass important policy-related legislation is seen to require the resignation of the government or dissolution of Parliament, much like a non-confidence vote, since a government that cannot spend money is hamstrung, also called loss of supply.

The prime minister's party will normally have a majority in the House of Representatives and party discipline is exceptionally strong in Malaysian politics, so passage of the government's legislation through the House of Representatives is mostly a formality.

Under the Constitution, the prime minister's role includes advising the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on:

Under Article 39 of the Constitution, executive authority is vested in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. However, Article 40(1) states that in most cases, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is bound to exercise his powers on the advice of the Cabinet or a minister acting under the Cabinet's general authority. Thus, in practice, actual governing authority is vested in the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Acting prime minister

From time to time, prime ministers are required to leave the country on business and a deputy is appointed to take their place during that time. In the days before jet aeroplanes, such absences could be for extended periods. However, the position can be fully decided by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the king of Malaysia when the position remains empty following the sudden resignation or death of the prime minister.

Caretaker prime minister

Under Article 55(3) of Constitution of Malaysia, the lower house of Parliament, unless sooner dissolved by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong with his own discretion on the advice of the prime minister, shall continue for five years from the date of its first meeting. Article 55(4) of the Constitution permits a delay of 60 days in the holding of the general election from the date of dissolution and Parliament shall be summoned to meet on a date not later than 120 days from the date of dissolution. Conventionally, between the dissolution of one Parliament and the convening of the next, the prime minister and the cabinet remain in office in a caretaker capacity.

List of prime ministers of Malaysia

Colour key (for political coalitions/parties):

(2) (6) (2) (1)

PortraitPrime Minister
Term of officeMandatePartyGovernmentMonarch(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Malay: {{Script|Arab|تونکو عبد الرحمن

1957

1970
1955Alliance (UMNO)Rahman IAbdul Rahman
Hisamuddin
Putra
Ismail Nasiruddin
Abdul Halim
1959Rahman II
1964Rahman III
1969Rahman IV
2
Abdul Razak Hussein
Malay: {{Script|Arab|عبد الرزاق حسين

1970

1976
Alliance (UMNO)Razak IAbdul Halim
Yahya Petra
1974BN (UMNO)Razak II
3
Hussein Onn
Malay: {{Script|Arab|حسين عون

1976

1981
BN (UMNO)Hussein IYahya Petra
Ahmad Shah
1978Hussein II
4
Mahathir Mohamad
Malay: {{Script|Arab|محاضير محمد

1981

2003
BN (UMNO)Mahathir IAhmad Shah
Iskandar
Azlan Shah
Ja'afar
Salahuddin
Sirajuddin
1982Mahathir II
1986Mahathir III
1990Mahathir IV
1995Mahathir V
1999Mahathir VI
5

Malay: {{Script|Arab|عبد الله أحمد بدوي

2003

2009
BN (UMNO)Abdullah ISirajuddin
Mizan Zainal Abidin
2004Abdullah II
2008Abdullah III
6
Mohd. Najib Abdul Razak
Malay: {{Script|Arab|نجيب رزاق

2009

2018
BN (UMNO)Najib IMizan Zainal Abidin
Abdul Halim
Muhammad V
2013Najib II
7
Mahathir Mohamad
Malay: {{Script|Arab|محاضير محمد

2018

2020
2018PH (BERSATU)Mahathir VIIMuhammad V
Abdullah
Abdullah
8
Muhyiddin Mohd. Yassin
Malay: {{Script|Arab|محيي الدين ياسين

2020

2021
PN (BERSATU)Muhyiddin
9
Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Malay: {{Script|Arab|إسماعيل صبري يعقوب

2021

2022
BN (UMNO)Ismail Sabri
10
Anwar Ibrahim
Malay: {{Script|Arab|أنوار إبراهيم‎

2022
Incumbent(2022)PH (PKR)AnwarAbdullah
Ibrahim Iskandar

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:12PlotArea = top:20 bottom:80 right:100 left:20AlignBars = late

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyyPeriod = from:01/01/1957 till:31/12/2024TimeAxis = orientation:horizontalScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1957

Colors = id:lightpurple value:lightpurple legend:ALLIANCE id:blue value:blue legend:BN id:red value:red legend:PH id:darkblue value:darkblue legend:PN

Legend = columns:4 left:150 top:24 columnwidth:100

TextData = pos:(20,27) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"Party:"

BarData = bar:Abtunrah bar:Abrahus bar:Husonn bar:Mamo bar:Paklah bar:Najibraz bar:Abah bar:Ismail bar:Anwar

PlotData= width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till bar:Abtunrah from: 31/08/1957 till: 22/09/1970 color:lightpurple text:"Tunku Abdul Rahman" fontsize:8 bar:Abrahus from: 22/09/1970 till: 31/05/1974 color:lightpurple from: 01/06/1974 till: 14/01/1976 color:blue text:"Abdul Razak Hussein" fontsize:8 bar:Husonn from: 15/01/1976 till: 16/07/1981 color:blue text:"Hussein Onn" fontsize:8 bar:Mamo from: 16/07/1981 till: 31/10/2003 color:blue fontsize:8 bar:Paklah from: 31/10/2003 till: 03/04/2009 color:blue text:"Abdullah Ahmad Badawi" fontsize:8 bar:Najibraz from: 03/04/2009 till: 09/05/2018 color:blue text:"Mohd Najib Abdul Razak" fontsize:8 bar:Mamo from: 10/05/2018 till: 24/02/2020 color:red text:"Mahathir Mohamad" fontsize:8 bar:Abah from: 01/03/2020 till: 16/08/2021 color:darkblue text:"Muhyiddin Yassin" fontsize:8 bar:Ismail from: 21/08/2021 till: 24/11/2022 color:blue text:"Ismail Sabri Yaakob" fontsize:8 bar:Anwar from: 24/11/2022 till: end color:red text:"Anwar Ibrahim" fontsize:8

Notes

See also

References

  1. Web site: CPPS Policy Factsheet: Remuneration of Elected Officials in Malaysia. Centre for Public Policy Studies. 11 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160511013733/http://cpps.org.my/images/articles/Fact%20Sheet%20Remuneration%20of%20Elected%20Officials%20in%20Malaysia.pdf. 11 May 2016. dead.
  2. Web site: Malaysia Gelar Pemilu Hari Ini. id. CNN Indonesia. 19 November 2022. 26 November 2022.