Federal Territories of Malaysia

The Federal Territories (FT), (Malay: Wilayah Persekutuan; Jawi: ولايه ڤرسکوتوان‎) in Malaysia comprise three territories—Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya—governed directly by the Federal Government of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital of Malaysia, Putrajaya is the administrative capital, and Labuan is an offshore international financial centre. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are enclaves in the state of Selangor. Labuan is an island off the coast of Sabah.

Federal Territories
Wilayah Persekutuan
ولايه ڤرسکوتوان
Official seal of Federal Territories
Location of Federal Territories
Federal territoriesKuala Lumpur
Labuan
Putrajaya
DesignatedKuala Lumpur: 1 February 1974
Labuan: 16 April 1984
Putrajaya: 1 February 2001
Consolidated under the Ministry27 March 2004
Government
 • Head DirectorRosida Jaafar
Area
 • Total
381.65 km2 (147.36 sq mi)
Population
 (Q4 2023)
 • Total
2,265,100
 • Density5,900/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
National postal code
Kuala Lumpur
50xxx to 60xxx
68xxx (Ampang and Selayang)
Labuan
87xxx
Putrajaya
62xxx
Area code(s)03a
087b
MottoMaju dan Sejahtera
'Progressive and Prosperous'
AnthemWilayah Persekutuan Maju dan Sejahtera
Administered by theFederal Territories Department
License plateKuala Lumpur
W and V
Labuan
L
Putrajaya
PUTRAJAYA and F
Websitekwp.gov.my
a Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya
b Labuan

Administrations

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The territories fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Federal Territories. Originally, the Federal Territory (FT) Ministry was established in 1979 and was in charge of planning and administration of Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley. In 1981, the FT Ministry was re-established under the Prime Minister's Department as the Planning Unit of Klang Valley. In 2004, the FT Ministry was again formed into a full-fledged ministry which focused on the development of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. In 2022, under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration, the ministry was scrapped and its functions delegated to other ministries. Currently, the Federal Territories are administered by the Department of the Federal Territories (Jabatan Wilayah Persekutuan) under the Prime Minister's Department. [1]

History

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The federal territories were originally part of two states-Selangor and Sabah. Both Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were part of Selangor and Labuan was part of Sabah.[2]

Kuala Lumpur, the state capital of Selangor, became the national capital of the Federation of Malaya (and later Malaysia) in 1948. Since independence in 1957, the federal as well as the Selangor state ruling party had been the Alliance (later the Barisan Nasional). However, in the 1969 elections the Alliance, while retaining control of the federal government, lost its majority in Selangor to the opposition. The same election resulted in a major race riot in Kuala Lumpur.

It was realised that if Kuala Lumpur remained part of Selangor, clashes between the federal government and Selangor state government might arise when they are controlled by different parties. The solution was to separate Kuala Lumpur from the state and place it under direct federal rule. On 1 February 1974, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Agreement was signed, and Kuala Lumpur became the first federal territory of Malaysia.[2]

The cession of Kuala Lumpur had the effect of securing the Selangor state government for the Barisan Nasional until the 2008 general election. The separation of Kuala Lumpur meant that Kuala Lumpur voters lost representation in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly and could only vote for representation in the Parliament of Malaysia.

Labuan, an island off coast of mainland Sabah, was chosen by the federal government for development into an offshore financial centre. Labuan became the second federal territory in 16 April 1984.[2]

Putrajaya is a planned city, designed to replace Kuala Lumpur as the seat of the federal government. Sultan Salahuddin of Selangor, who was serving as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at that time, was asked again to cede land to the federal government. Putrajaya became the third federal territory on 1 February 2001.[2]

In recent years, efforts were made to forge a common identity for the three federal territories. A flag of the Federal Territories was introduced in 2006 to represent the federal territories as a whole.[3] During the 2006 Sukma Games in Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya's teams merged into the unified Federal Territories team.

Symbols

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Maju dan Sejahtera (lit.'Progress and Prosperity') is the official anthem of the Federal Territories.

Apart from the flag of Federal Territories, each federal territory has its own flag.

Sports

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Since 2006, sport activities in all three Federal Territories are governed and coordinated by the Federal Territory Sports Council (Malay: Majlis Sukan Wilayah Persekutuan, WIPERS), a federal statutory body.[4]

Holidays

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In addition to federal public holidays, all three Federal Territories celebrate Federal Territory Day. Labuan, with a significant Kadazan-Dusun community, celebrates Kaamatan with the neighbouring state of Sabah.

Federal Parliament seats

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The Federal Territories representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat) since the 15th general election are:

Parliament Seat Name Member of Parliament Party Area
P114 Kepong Lim Lip Eng Pakatan Harapan (DAP) Kuala Lumpur
P115 Batu Prabakaran Parameswaran Pakatan Harapan (PKR)
P116 Wangsa Maju Zahir Hassan Pakatan Harapan (PKR)
P117 Segambut Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan Pakatan Harapan (DAP)
P118 Setiawangsa Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad Pakatan Harapan (PKR)
P119 Titiwangsa Johari Abdul Ghani Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P120 Bukit Bintang Fong Kui Lun Pakatan Harapan (DAP)
P121 Lembah Pantai Ahmad Fahmi Mohamed Fadzil Pakatan Harapan (PKR)
P122 Seputeh Teresa Kok Suh Sim Pakatan Harapan (DAP)
P123 Cheras Tan Kok Wai Pakatan Harapan (DAP)
P124 Bandar Tun Razak Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Pakatan Harapan (PKR)
P125 Putrajaya Mohd Radzi Md Jidin Perikatan Nasional (PPBM) Putrajaya
P166 Labuan Suhaili Abdul Rahman Perikatan Nasional (PPBM) Labuan

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan - Latar Belakang". 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Kaur, Dashveenjit (31 January 2019). "The journey of Putrajaya — Malaysia's jewel capital city". The Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Official flag for all three FTs unveiled". The Star. 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Majlis Sukan Wilayah Persekutuan".
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