The Malaysian Houses of Parliament (
Malay: ''Bangunan Parlimen Malaysia''), is a building complex where the
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
assembles. The structure is located at the
Lake Gardens
Lake Gardens is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India.
It has Kalighat to the north, Jodhpur Park to the east, Prince Anwar Shah Road or Tollygunge to the south and Charu Market to the west.
The famous Golf ...
in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
, close to the
Malaysian National Monument.
Description
The complex comprises two parts, a 3-story main building and a 17-story 77 metre tall tower. The main building hosts the ''
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysia. The chamber and its powers are established by Article 44 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The Dewan Ra ...
'' (
House of Representatives) and the ''
Dewan Negara
The Dewan Negara (English language, English: Senate; Literal translation, lit. "State Council") is the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia, consisting of 70 senators of whom 26 are elected by the State legislative assemblies of Malaysia, ...
'' (
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
) while
representatives' offices are located in the tower.
The complex was constructed during the period when the federal government was based in Kuala Lumpur. While the vast majority of government operations has moved to
Putrajaya
Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal government ...
since the late-1990s, the parliament continues to convene at Kuala Lumpur's Parliament House.
Construction
Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first
Malayan Prime Minister, suggested the construction of the Houses of Parliament in December 1959. The construction of the building cost
RM18 million. Designed by Ivor Shipley, a British architect in the
Public Works Department, the construction commenced in September 1962, and the opening of the new Parliament building was officiated by
Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, the third
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The of ...
, on 21 November 1963.
[The Straits Times]
''The big step forward''
2 November 1963, page 1; accessed 23 February 2014 Tunku Abdul Rahman's statue was erected near the Parliament Square on 1971. The statue was designed by an American sculptor,
Felix de Weldon who also designed the
Malaysian National Monument.
In culture
The buildings have only weakly represented Malaysian government to the world, but are symbolic as that in Malaysia. The building has also been prominently featured on reverse of the
first series sen coins and the
first and second series M$1,000 banknotes.
See also
*
Perdana Putra
The Perdana Putra is a building in Putrajaya, Malaysia which houses the office complex of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Located on the main hill in Putrajaya, it has become synonymous with the executive branch of the Malaysian federal governmen ...
, federal government administrative building in
Putrajaya
Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya), is a planned capital city which functions as the administrative capital and the judicial capital of Malaysia. The seat of the federal government ...
External links
Official Parliament Malaysia website
References
{{Parliament of Malaysia
Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur
Parliament of Malaysia
Legislatures of Malaysia
Government buildings in Malaysia
Government buildings completed in 1963
Modernist architecture in Malaysia