C ommo nwe a l t h memb e r c o u n t r i e s compatible with the federal constitution. The federal parliament may make laws to promote uniformity of the laws of two or more states and it may legislate on any subject at the request of a state legislative assembly. Malaysia’s three spheres of government – federal, state and local – are enshrined in the federal constitution. The three federal territories are governed by the federal government. Each state has an executive council, which deals with nonfederal matters under a menteri besar (chief minister), answerable to elected state assemblies. Local government is provided for by the Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171; for Peninsular Malaysia); the Local Authorities Ordinance 1996 (for Sabah) and Local Government Ordinance 1961 (for Sarawak). The Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government is responsible for local government, which comprises 14 city councils (including two corporations); 39 municipal councils; and 98 district councils, none of which is elected. The local authorities have revenue-raising powers, raising the bulk of their revenue from self-assessed income tax, but also collecting licence fees and fines. All authorities are responsible for public utilities and basic infrastructure, while urban authorities generally also provide services such as public health, waste management and urban planning, and city councils further provide law enforcement. National development plan The national vision of a progressive and high-income nation within 30 years, Vision 2020, was unveiled by the Prime Minister in 1991, at the launch of the Sixth Malaysia Plan. It provided a framework for subsequent development planning. The current development plan, the Tenth Malaysia Plan, covers the period 2011–15. It sees the transformation of the public sector underpinned by four principles: a culture of creativity and innovation; enhanced decision-making and execution; value for money; and integrity. Government would become more integrated with greater inter-agency collaboration across federal, state and local government. Future public-sector reforms would be customer-oriented. Further information Government of Malaysia: www.malaysia.gov.my/en Commonwealth Secretariat: www.thecommonwealth.org Commonwealth Governance: www.commonwealthgovernance.org Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2013/14 202
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