The Monarchy In Malaysia

This paper was delivered by His Royal Highness Raja Nazrin Shah at a Public Lecture organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore on 27 July 2004.

With original case studies of a more than a dozen countries, Monarchies and decolonisation in Asia offers new perspectives on how both European monarchs who reigned over Asian colonies and Asian royal houses adapted to decolonisation. As colonies became independent states (and European countries, and other colonial powers, lost their overseas empires), monarchies faced the challenges of decolonisation, republicanism and radicalism. These studies place dynasties – both European and ‘native’ – at the centre of debate about decolonisation and the form of government of new states, from the sovereigns of Britain, the Netherlands and Japan to the maharajas of India, the sultans of the East Indies and the ‘white rajahs’ of Sarawak. It provides new understanding of the history of decolonisation and of the history of modern monarchy.

The Malay Sultanates is the 16th and final volume in The Encyclopedia of Malaysia series. It provides a fascinating insight into the history and rich heritage of the Malaysian monarchy, its changing role as the country has developed and its constitutional

The present work aims to present the constitutional status of the Malaysian, the Cambodian and the Thai King, by analysing the respective Constitutions to that very matter, issuing furthermore certain similarities and differences on the basis of Comparative Constitutional Law - and including the relevant texts excerpts. In specific, the last Thai Constitution of 2007 is currently (2014) not in force, but a very interesting example of Thai constitutional history - given the fact, that it resembled a lot its preceding constitutions.