GOVERNMENT HEAD OF STATE The Yang di-Pertuan Negara: H.E. Tun Pengiran Ahmad Raffae bin Orang Kaya Kaya Pengiran Haji Omar, SMN, PDK CHIEF MINISTER The Hon. Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun, SMN, PDK, OBẸ SARAWAK Sarawak became a State of Malaysia on 16th September 1963. The State consists of a coastal strip 450 miles long and varies from 40 to 120 miles wide. The State is divided into three main zones, firstly an alluvial and coastal plain in which isolated mountains and mountain groups rise to 2,000 feet or more; then rolling country of yellow, sandy clay intersected by ranges of mountains; and finally a mountainous area in the interior. The Rejang and Sarawak Rivers are navigable for ocean-going ships for 170 and 22 miles respectively. For administrative purposes, the State is divided into five Divisions, known as the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Division. The capital is Kuching. CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT In 1941, to celebrate the centenary of Brooke rule, His Highness the Rajah decided to grant a constitution which would give to the people of Sarawak a say in their own government. Although the Japanese invasion followed almost immediately, the new constitution was introduced when Sarawak became a Crown Colony in 1946, and a Supreme Council (Executive) and a Council Negri (Legislative) were set up. A new constitution was granted in 1956 and came into force on 1st April 1957. This provided for a reformed legislature of forty-five Members of whom twentyfour were to be elected, fourteen to be ex-officio Members, four were to be nominated by the Governor, and three were to be Standing Members for life. The Supreme Council was to consist of three ex officio Members, two Nominated Members and five Elected Members. Orders in Council made in 1962 and 1963 provided for the Supreme Council to consist of a Chief Minister, three ex officio Members and five Members appointed on the advice of the Chief Minister from among the Members of the Council Negri, and for the Council Negri to consist of a Speaker, three ex officio Members, thirty-six elected Members and not more than three Nominated Members and one Standing Member. The latter seat was abolished in September 1963, on the establishment of Malaysia. In May and June 1963 direct elections were held to the District and Municipal Councils, which in turn elected representatives to the five Divisional Councils. The latter in July 1963 acted as electoral colleges for the Council Negri. Direct elections to the Council Negri which were suspended in May 1969, were held in June 1970. The composition of the Council Negri is now as follows: Governor: H. E. Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang bin Tuanku Othman, PSM, OBE SUPREME COUNCIL The State Constitution provides for up to nine Ministers but for the time being the number of Ministers in the Government will be limited to six. SELANGOR This west coast State of West Malaysia is bounded on the north by Perak, on the east by Pahang and on the south by Negri Sembilan. Its area is 3,160 square miles. Its population at the 1970 Census was 1,630,707 (Malays 564,029, Chinese 754,348, Indians 298,876, Others 13,454). The State capital is Kuala Lumpur, which is also the capital of Malaysia. The seat of the Ruler is Klang, 25 miles to the west. The State contains Malaysia's port of Port Swettenham. The composition of the State Legislative Assembly, is now as follows:Alliance Party . 17 7 4 Ruler: His Royal Highness Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Mentri Besar (Chief Minister): Dato Harun bin Idris SMS (Alliance) TRENGGANU This State lies on the east coast of West Malaysia bordered to the north by Lelantan and to the south by Pahang. Its area is about 5,000 square miles. Its population at the 1970 Census was 405,539 (Malays 380,847, Chinese 21,725, Indians 2,441, Others 526). The capital is Kuala Trengganu. The composition of the State Legislative Assembly, is now as follows: Regent: Yang Teramat Mulia Tengku Mahmud ibni Sultan Ismail Nasaruddin Shah Mentri Besar (Chief Minister): Tan Sri Ibrahim Fikri bin Mohamed, PMN, SPMT, PPT (Alliance) State Secretary: Dato Bendang Setia Ibrahim bin Mohd. Salleh, PJK MALAYSIAN TITLES, ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS A detailed list of Malaysian titles, orders, decorations and medals may be found in the Commonwealth Relations Office Year Book, 1966. MALTA, G.C. ALTA lies in the Mediterranean, latitude 35° 8' N., longitude 14° 5' E., 58 miles south of Sicily and approximately 180 miles east of Tunisia. The Maltese archipelago consists of the islands of Malta (94-4 square miles), Gozo (25.9 square miles) and Comino (1·1 square miles) together with four uninhabited islets, Cominotto, St. Paul's Islands and Filfla. The name Malta is derived from the Roman name for the island, Melita. The highest point in Malta is just over 800 feet above sea level. The islands enjoy an average winter temperature of 55°F while in summer the average is 80°F. The mean annual rainfall is 20 inches, falling mainly between October and March. The soil, which contains much lime, is shallow except in low-lying places. There are 34,314 acres of arable land, the main crops being potatoes, onions, tomatoes, grapes, wheat, barley and oranges. The total population of the Maltese Islands at the end of 1970 was estimated to be 322,173 of which about 40 per cent live in the nine main towns. Valletta, the capital, has a population of 15,547 while Sliema is the largest town with a population of 21,983. Other towns are Qormi (15,761), Hamrun (14,910), Paola (12,197), Birkirkara (17,767), and Rabat (12,399). The capital of Gozo is Victoria (5,498). Emigration between 1946 and 1970 totalled 124,327 and was mainly directed to Australia, followed by the U.K. and Canada. The population is mainly European, speaking the Maltese and English languages, and 90-95 per cent of the people are Roman Catholic. The birth and death rates in 1969 were 13.2 and 9-3 per thousand respectively. Primary education is free and compulsory. There are two Government Grammar Schools for boys and four for girls; three Government Secondary Technical Schools for boys and one for girls. There are two Technical Institutes and a third is in an advanced state of construction. Secondary education in Government Schools is free and students are selected by examination. There are also two Government Industrial Training Centres. In addition to the Government Schools there are 68 fee paying private colleges, schools and convents of which 22 are Secondary Schools. In October 1970 30 new Government Secondary Schools will be opened and these will ensure that all boys and girls receive free secondary education according to their ability and aptitude. Two Colleges of Education train male and female students for the Primary/ Secondary Schools. The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology prepares students who have completed their secondary education for a variety of examinations. The faculties of Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering are also situated in the above college. Degrees are conferred by the Royal University of Malta. The Grand Harbour is the main port. Traffic handled (excluding mineral oils) was 915,526 tons in 1970. Anchorage exposed to the S.E. is provided at Marsaxlokk Bay and anchorage exposed to N.E. is provided at St Paul's Bay. A yachting centre is established at Marsamxett Harbour. The airport at Luqa (runway, 7,800 feet), 5 miles from Valletta, is used by both civil and military aircraft. The principal airlines are British European Airways, Malta Airlines, Alitalia and Libyan Arab Airlines. Scheduled services are operated between Malta and U.K., Italy and Libya. There are no railways, and there are 710 miles of surfaced road. Broadcasting facilities are provided on behalf of the Broadcasting Authority by Rediffusion (Malta) Ltd., and by the Malta Television Services Ltd.-which, under the overall supervision of the Authority, are responsible for the provision of most of the programmes. The Authority itself produces and prescribes programmes on Sound and Television. The Malta Development Corporation was constituted by virtue of Act No. XVII of 1967. The Board of the Corporation was appointed as from 1st January 1968. The Corporation orignally took over the responsibility of executing the Aids to Industries Scheme by virtue of an Agency Agreement signed between the Malta Government and the Malta Development Corporation on the 27th April 1968. Since the end of 1971, the Corporation has been carrying out intensive research with a view to attracting to Malta larger industrial concerns with which the Corporation can be more closely associated through equity participation. The Corporation is also a development bank and has received from the Government K an equity capital of £1m for the purpose, with power to raise further capital up to £9m. By the end of December 1971, 363 projects had been approved since the inception of the Aids to Industries Scheme; 165 firms are in operation and have created just under 11,000 new jobs. The commitment by way of grants and loans in respect of approval projects up to 31st December 1971 amounted to £4.6m and £1.5m respectively. The turnover value was £21.1m, of which £13.9m were export sales. There is a factory building programme in operation. The industries cover a wide range of products such as bacon, canned foods, poultry packing, margarine, cooking fats and ghee, savoury foods, pasta, custards, compound fodder, wine, yarns, fabric and made-up textiles articles (including knitwear, shirts, stockings, tights, jeans, protective clothing, gloves etc.) mattresses, furniture, cardboard containers, files and similar products, typesetting and printing of books, sporting prints, synthetic rubber seals, Polyurethane foam, paints, detergent, medicinals and toilet preparations, plastic goods, fibre glass building materials and gift merchandise, pottery, tiles, glass, machine knives, iron and steel rods, steel furniture, high precision tools, stainless steel sinks, electro-plating, light engineering products, electrical heating elements, electronic components, toys, wigs and musical instruments, assembly of vehicles, horticultural projects produce flowers, cuttings, tomatoes, mushrooms, strawberries, and courgettes for export markets. Tourism is assuming primary importance, and a number of new hotels have been built over the past few years. There are now nearly 8,800 tourist beds and over 100 hotels in Malta, Gozo and Comino. Stern to quay berthing facilities for about 350 yachts are provided at Marsamxett Harbour which lies to the West of Valletta. This is only part of the general plan to develop the whole of this harbour into a yachting centre. The two thermal Power Stations supplying the electricity requirements of the Maltese Archipelago have capacities of 85 Megawatts and 30 Megawatts, respectively. The System Maximum Demand realised so far is 65-4 Mega watts. All areas in the Maltese Islands are served with electricity supply which is transmitted by a primary system operating at 33,000 Volts and a secondary network at 11,000 Volts. The supply at the consumer's terminals is 415/240 Volts, 50 Cycles. The electricity distribution system is capable of supplying efficiently the power requirements throughout the country. However, works on the reinforcement of the system are regularly carried out to maintain this capability. The major Power Station also incorporates four sea-water desalination plants with a total production of 4-5 million gallons of potable distillate per day. This water supplements the supplies obtained from natural resources to meet the Island's water requirements. Malta's National Day is 8th September, the anniversary of The Lifting of The Great Siege in 1565. HISTORY There are notable stone-age survivals in Malta, but its history begins with settlement by the Phoenicians. After Phoenicia was conquered by the Persians, Carthage became the capital of the Punic Empire, and from Carthage Malta |