ABSTRACT
Malaysia is a federation with a constitutional monarchy. In 1957 the Federation of Malaya, as it was then called, obtained independence from the United Kingdom. Initial parties to the federation were Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Malacca, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Trengganu and Kelantan. In 1963 the Federation of Malaysia replaced the Federation of Malaya with the inclusion of three additional states – Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. Singapore left the federation in 1965 to become an independent state. In addition to the thirteen remaining states, the federation includes the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Lebuan.
