# Federal Constitution of Malaysia

> The supreme law of Malaysia, establishing the structure of the federation, the division of powers between federal and state governments, fundamental liberties, and the procedure for constitutional amendment.

- Category: law
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-10
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/law/federal-constitution

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## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Federal Constitution of Malaysia (Perlembagaan Persekutuan) |
| Type | Supreme law (constitution) |
| Administered by | Interpreted and applied by the courts; amended by Parliament |
| In force since | 31 August 1957 (as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya); extended and renamed on formation of Malaysia, 16 September 1963 |
| Applies to | The federation as a whole — all federal and state institutions, and every person within Malaysia |

## What it covers

The Federal Constitution is described in Article 4 as the supreme law of the
federation, meaning any law inconsistent with it is void to the extent of the
inconsistency. It is organised into Parts and Schedules covering the
federation and its territories, citizenship, fundamental liberties, the
federal institutions (the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Parliament, the executive
and the judiciary), the states and their constitutions, the division of
powers between federal and state governments, financial provisions, and
special provisions.

## Structure

- **The federation.** Part I establishes Malaysia as a federation of states
  and defines its territories.
- **Citizenship.** Part III sets out how citizenship is acquired, lost and
  terminated.
- **Fundamental liberties.** Part II (Articles 5–13) sets out liberties
  including liberty of the person, prohibition of slavery and forced labour,
  protection against retrospective criminal law, equality before the law,
  freedom of movement, freedom of speech, assembly and association, freedom
  of religion, rights in respect of education, and rights to property.
- **The federal government.** Part IV establishes the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
  as Head of State, and the structure of the executive, legislature and
  judiciary at the federal level.
- **The states.** Part V covers state constitutions, the Conference of Rulers,
  and relations between the federation and the states.
- **Distribution of powers.** The Ninth Schedule sets out the Federal List,
  State List and Concurrent List, dividing legislative competence between
  Parliament and the State Legislative Assemblies.
- **Amendment procedure.** Article 159 sets the general procedure for
  amending the Constitution, generally requiring a bill supported by the
  votes of not less than two-thirds of the total number of members of each
  House of Parliament; certain provisions carry additional requirements, such
  as the consent of the Conference of Rulers or of specific state governments.

## Who it affects

The Federal Constitution applies to every federal and state institution and,
through the rights and obligations it establishes, to every person within
Malaysia.

## Related knowledge

- [Parliament of Malaysia](/en/government/parliament)

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*This article is classified as sensitive (3R+1: constitutional matters) under
NegaraKu.md's editorial policy. It is written to be strictly descriptive —
covering structure and function only — and is held in review pending human
sign-off before publication.*

## Sources

- Federal Constitution (as at 1 September 2022 reprint) — http://www.agc.gov.my/agcportal/index.php?r=portal2/lom (Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia)
- Laws of Malaysia — Federal Constitution — https://www.federalgazette.agc.gov.my/ (Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia)

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