Structure étatique
Malaysia - Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan. Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy comprising 13 states, 11 on the Malay Peninsula and the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, north of Borneo, as well as the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. The latter comprises the island of Labuan and six smaller islands off the coast of the Sultanate of Brunei.
Malaysia's head of state is Yang di-Pertuan Agong ("The Supreme Ruler" or "His Majesty the King"). He is elected for a five-year term by the Rulers' Conference, made up of the rulers of the nine Malaysian states administered by sultans of hereditary royal lineage. The sovereign is also always chosen from among these nine rulers. The current incumbent has been Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Iskandar of Johor, 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, since January 31, 2024. Although his role is mainly symbolic, he is responsible for choosing the Prime Minister from among the members of the House of Representatives, most often the leader of the majority political party. The current Prime Minister and Head of Government is Anwar Ibrahim, who took office on November 22, 2022.
The principle of separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers is enshrined in the 1957 Constitution. The government holds executive power, while legislative power is divided between the government and parliament, although the king has the power to dissolve parliament at will. The federal parliament is made up of two assemblies: the lower house, the House of Representatives(Dewan Rakyat), with 222 representatives elected by universal suffrage, and the upper house(Dewan Negara), the equivalent of the Senate, with 70 members, 44 of whom are appointed directly by the King, and 26 representatives of the states and federal territories. Members of parliament are elected for a five-year term.
The country is administered on three levels: the Federation at the top of the pyramid, then the states and federal territories, and finally the regions. The federal government has significant powers over state administration, but the states of Sarawak and Sabah retain more autonomy in their jurisdiction than their peninsular counterparts, and are the only two Malaysian states to have an independent High Court of Justice. Sarawak has 12 administrative divisions subdivided into 31 districts, while Sabah has 5 divisions and 27 districts.
Republic of Indonesia - Kalimantan. Indonesia is a republic, headed by a president who is head of state and commander-in-chief of the army. Since 2004, he has been elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term, with a maximum of two consecutive terms possible. Since the elections of February 14, 2024, the incumbent has been 72-year-old Prabowo Subianto, a controversial figure for his past as head of the commandos during the dictatorship from 1967 to 1998. He is assisted by a vice-president.
Indonesia is a unitary state, with all its citizens subject to central political and legal authority. It is the world's largest archipelagic state, with over 17,000 islands, including Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and part of Borneo. The country is divided into 27 provinces, of which the Indonesian part of Borneo, Kalimantan, comprises five: Kalimantan Timur (East), Kalimantan Barat (West), Kalimantan Selatan (South), Kalimantan Tengah (Central) and Kalimantan Utara (North), created in 2012 from the split with Kalimantan Timur. Indonesia's capital is Jakarta, but it will soon be transferred to Nusantara, a new city in Kalimantan Timur. Inauguration of the new capital was scheduled for August 17, 2024, the day Indonesia gained independence from Japan and the Netherlands in 1945, but work is running well behind schedule. Each province has its own capital. Provinces are divided into districts (kabupaten) headed by a prefect (bupati), and municipalities (kotamadya) headed by a mayor (walikota).
Provincial governors, previously appointed exclusively by provincial parliaments, have been appointed by direct universal suffrage since 2005. Prefects are elected by departmental assemblies, and mayors by municipal assemblies. The People's Deliberative Assembly(Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) is the most important structure in the legislative system. It comprises two chambers: the DPR or People's Representative Council(Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, the lower house with 575 members directly elected for five years on a proportional representation basis) and the DPD or Regional Representative Council(Dewan Perwakilan Daerahle, the upper house with 136 members directly elected for five years). The State Court holds judicial power and is responsible for civil matters.
Brunei Darrusalam. This micro-state was a British protectorate until February 23, 1984, when it gained independence. A member of ASEAN and the Commonwealth, the country is ruled by an absolute Islamic monarchy. It has been ruled by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah since 1968. The Sultan of Brunei is Head of State, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Defense, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Prince of the Faithful (leader of the Muslims). The Sultan is assisted by the Council of Ministers, the Council of Religious Affairs, the Legislative Council, the Privy Council and the Council of Succession. There has been no parliament since 1962, when the Constitution was abolished. There is only one political party, the National Solidarity Party, which also takes its orders from the Sultan.
In October 2013, Haji Hassanal Bolkiah instituted Sharia law, which applies only to Muslims and is gradually implemented over the following six months. This Islamic law provides for flogging for alcohol consumption or abortion, amputation of limbs for thieves, and stoning for other crimes. Brunei is the only country in Southeast Asia to apply Sharia law. The sultan is tightening the law in 2019, and Muslims guilty of adultery, sodomy and/or homosexual relations are now liable to the death penalty.
Économie et place du tourisme
East Malaysia. Malaysia benefits from a wealth of natural resources: oil, palm oil, natural gas, timber, tin, iron, rubber... These raw materials have contributed to Malaysia's development, enabling it to join the club of "Asian baby dragons", Asia's newly industrialized countries. Today, the country's prosperity is ensured above all by its trade in oil, rubber and palm oil. The states of Sarawak and Sabah are rich in mineral resources and have numerous forestry industries exploiting timber and palm oil.
Sabah and Sarawak are the two most visited states on the island of Borneo. In 2023, Sarawak welcomed over 3.9 million visitors, while Sabah received 2.9 million. However, these figures should be taken with a grain of salt, and many local and Asian visitors come for just a few days. Unlike Kalimantan, East Malaysia has a well-developed tourism infrastructure: travel agencies, national parks, accommodation, air transport, paved roads, etc. Both states rely heavily on tourism for their economies, and numerous initiatives have been implemented to develop their international appeal: promotional campaigns, modern websites, Unesco World Heritage Site classification, development of sustainable tourism and the expansion of domestic and international air links. At national level, Malaysia has welcomed 20 million foreign tourists in 2023, placing it behind Thailand and China, but ahead of Japan and Vietnam. " Malaysia Truly Asia ", the Tourism Board's slogan for promoting the country on the international market, admirably captures the essence of Malaysia's ethnic and cultural plurality.
Kalimantan. The Indonesian part of the island has significant oil and gas reserves. The first oil was drilled in 1897 in Balikpapan, a cosmopolitan town in Kalimantan Timur, where numerous refineries are still located. Like other parts of the island, Kalimantan is also a major exporter of palm oil, rubber from rubber trees, seafood, etc. Timber, which is either exported internationally or processed locally in factories, is also one of Kalimantan's main economic resources.
Although tourism is an essential resource for the Indonesian economy, Kalimantan welcomes few foreign travellers. The lack of international promotion of the region, the lack of tourist infrastructure and the limited availability of transport are the main obstacles to the development of tourism in Kalimantan.
Brunei. The small sultanate is a wealthy state thanks to its oil and natural gas reserves, exports of which account for around 90% of its GDP. In 2023, Brunei produced 93,000 barrels of oil/day. In addition to hydrocarbons, the microstate also reaps the dividends of its foreign investments. Agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the national economy, and Brunei is forced to import over 60% of agri-food products to meet the needs of its citizens.
The tourism industry is underdeveloped in the sultanate compared with the neighboring Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. However, Brunei is seeking to become a popular tourist destination and is increasingly communicating this through its Ministry of Tourism, created in 2015. Royal Brunei Airlines is trying to promote Bandar Seri Begawan airport as a stopover of choice for flights between Europe and Australia.
