# Warta Kerajaan: why a law only comes into force once it is gazetted

> Warta Kerajaan is the official publication of the Malaysian government. Article 66(5) of the Federal Constitution provides that no law may come into force until it has been published — so being 'gazetted' is not an administrative formality, but a condition of commencement.

- Category: glossary
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/glossary/warta-kerajaan

---

**Bahasa Malaysia:** Warta Kerajaan · **English:** Government Gazette · **中文:** 政府宪报

An Act can be passed by Parliament and assented to by the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong — and still **bind no one**. Article 66(5) of the Federal Constitution
provides that a Bill becomes law once it is assented to, **but no law shall
come into force until it has been published**.

The place of that publication is the **Government Gazette**.

## Why "gazetted" matters

Gazettal is the point in time that turns a document from a policy decision
into a legal obligation. It answers three questions at once:

- **When** the provision starts to bind.
- **What** the exact binding text is — the published version, not a press
  release.
- **How** it is proven in court.

Section 19 of the Interpretation Acts 1948 and 1967 (Akta 388) sets the
default rule: the commencement date is the date provided in or under the Act
or subsidiary legislation; if no date is provided, it is **the date
immediately after the date of publication**.

That is why lawyers read two dates, not one — the Gazette date and the
commencement date. The two often differ, because Parliament has the power to
defer a law's commencement or give it retrospective effect.

## Parts of the Gazette

Section 18 of Akta 388 divides the Gazette into several parts according to
the type of content:

| Part | Content | Typical citation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Acts Supplement | Acts of Parliament and Ordinances | Akta 777 (Akta Syarikat 2016) |
| Legislative Supplement (A) | Royal proclamations, orders, rules, regulations, by-laws | P.U. (A) |
| Legislative Supplement (B) | Subsidiary legislation other than that required to be published in Legislative Supplement (A) | P.U. (B) |
| Bills Supplement | Bills | — |
| General Part | Other matters required to be published, or which the Government thinks fit | — |

Section 18 also provides that publication in the official Gazette of Malaysia
is **sufficient notice** of any matter required to be published in the
Gazette by any federal law. In other words: once it is gazetted, you are
deemed to already know.

The definition of "Gazette" in Parliament's official glossary covers the
official Federal Gazette published in **electronic form** or other form by
order of the Government, including the official Gazette of any State. The
text of published federal legislation can be accessed online through the
Attorney General's Chambers' Federal Legislation portal at
`lom.agc.gov.my`.

## Common mistakes

- **Equating "passed" with "in force".** Parliamentary passage, royal assent
  and gazettal are three separate events.
- **Assuming the Gazette date = the commencement date.** Many Acts leave the
  setting of the commencement date to the Minister, through a notification in
  the Gazette published later.
- **Citing a regulation without its P.U. number.** The P.U. (A) or P.U. (B)
  number is the official reference that lets anyone verify the text.
- **Relying on an unofficial printout in court.** Section 61 of Akta 388 gives
  prima facie evidentiary status to a copy of the Gazette purporting to be
  published by authority and printed by the Government Printer.

## Related terms

- [Akta](/en/glossary/akta)
- [Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution)
- [Parliament of Malaysia](/en/government/parliament)

## What's next

When you read a new regulation, look for two things before acting: the P.U.
number that identifies it, and the commencement provision within it. If that
provision says commencement will be fixed "through a notification in the
Gazette", the regulation is not necessarily applicable to you today — check
whether that notification has already been published at `lom.agc.gov.my`.

## Sources

- Perlembagaan Persekutuan (Cetakan Semula), Perkara 66 — https://bhess.jpm.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Perlembagaan-Persekutuan-Cetakan-Semula-2020-1.pdf (Jabatan Peguam Negara)
- Akta Tafsiran 1948 dan 1967 (Akta 388), Cetakan Semula — seksyen 18, 19 dan 61 — https://www.jkptg.gov.my/images/pdf/perundangan-tanah/Act_388-intepret.pdf (Pesuruhjaya Penyemak Undang-Undang, Malaysia)
- Akta 388 — Akta Tafsiran 1948 dan 1967 — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=388&lang=BM (Jabatan Peguam Negara)
- Glosari Parlimen: Warta / Gazette — https://www.parlimen.gov.my/index.php?modload=glosari&action=20000&id=100&lang=en (Parlimen Malaysia)
- Portal Perundangan Persekutuan Malaysia (Laws of Malaysia) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ (Jabatan Peguam Negara)

---
Source of truth: https://github.com/negaraku-md/NegaraKu.md
License: CC BY-SA 4.0