# Putrajaya: the federal administrative centre that is not a state

> The Federal Territory of Putrajaya houses most of the federal government's administrative machinery, but constitutionally it is neither a state nor the capital — it is land carved out of Selangor into a federal territory through a series of legal steps between 1993 and 2001.

- Category: states
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/states/putrajaya

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In 1999, the Office of the Prime Minister moved out of Kuala Lumpur. The capital
did not change — what moved was its administrative machinery.

That is Putrajaya: not a new capital, nor a new state, but a Federal Territory
purpose-built to house the executive branch of the federal government. It was
carved out of the Prang Besar estate in the Sepang district of Selangor.

## Key facts

| Item | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Status | Federal Territory, not a state — Article 1(4) of the Federal Constitution |
| Established | 1 February 2001, through the Akta Perlembagaan (Pindaan) 2001 [Akta A1095] |
| Area | 4,931 hectares (approximately 49.31 km²), 20 precincts |
| Population | Approximately 120,800 (DOSM estimate for 2025) |
| Local authority | Perbadanan Putrajaya, under the Akta Perbadanan Putrajaya 1995 [Akta 536] |
| Representation | One Dewan Rakyat seat (P.125 Putrajaya); one Dewan Negara member appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong |
| Does not have | State Legislative Assembly; Ruler or Yang di-Pertua Negeri; state government |

## Why the administration moved out of Kuala Lumpur

The choice of site explains the intent. On 2 June 1993, the Government selected
Prang Besar for its strategic position along the development corridor between
Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lumpur International Airport — not for its proximity to
the city centre.

The concept chosen on 15 December 1994 was "City in a Garden" (Bandar Dalam
Taman). Today around 1,923 hectares — 39% of Putrajaya's area — is set aside
as a network of green spaces, including the 400-hectare Putrajaya Lake and 200
hectares of artificial wetland cells. A layout like this would have been
impossible to implement inside an already densely built-up
[Kuala Lumpur](/en/states/kuala-lumpur).

On 12 October 1994, the Cabinet changed the name of Prang Besar to Putrajaya,
after the first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

## How Selangor land became a federal territory

This was not a single act. It was a series of legal steps spanning eight years.

- **16 December 1993** — the identified site was declared under seksyen 8 of
  the Akta Pengambilan Balik Tanah 1960 [Akta 486].
- **20 July 1995** — an agreement was concluded between the Federal Government
  and the State Government of [Selangor](/en/states/selangor) under
  **Article 80(5)** of the Federal Constitution, enabling the Federation to
  exercise authority functions to administer the Putrajaya area. At this point
  Putrajaya was still Selangor land.
- **1 March 1996** — the Akta Perbadanan Putrajaya 1995 [Akta 536] came into
  force, establishing Perbadanan Putrajaya.
- **1999** — the Perdana Putra building was completed and the Office of the
  Prime Minister moved from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya.
- **1 February 2001** — the Akta Perlembagaan (Pindaan) 2001 [Akta A1095]
  amended Article 1(4) so that the territory of the State of Selangor no
  longer includes Putrajaya.

Note the sequence: the administration moved first, the constitutional status
followed later. Throughout that period, the legal basis was an agreement
between the two governments — because Article 2(b) provides that the
boundaries of a State may not be altered without that State's consent,
expressed through legislation of its State Legislature, and without the
consent of the Conference of Rulers.

## What "not a state" means in practice

This distinction is not merely technical. It changes who makes the decisions.

- **Legislation.** Item 6(e) of the Federal List places "the government and
  administration of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and
  Putrajaya" under the authority of [Parliament](/en/government/parliament) —
  not any state legislative assembly.
- **Local government.** Item 4 of the State List only applies to local
  government *outside* the three Federal Territories. In Putrajaya, that
  function is carried out by Perbadanan Putrajaya, whose members are
  appointed by the Minister responsible for the Federal Territory of
  Putrajaya, not elected.
- **Remaining links with Selangor.** Seksyen 5(1) of Akta 536 still provides
  for two members of the Perbadanan representing the Selangor State
  Government, named by the Menteri Besar with the consent of the Sultan of
  Selangor.
- **Representation.** Akta A1095 added one Dewan Rakyat seat for Putrajaya
  (now P.125 Putrajaya) and one Dewan Negara member appointed by the Yang
  di-Pertuan Agong.

## Common mistakes

- **Equating Putrajaya with the capital.** Istana Negara and the Parliament
  Building remain in Kuala Lumpur.
- **Assuming Putrajaya was "taken" unilaterally.** The first step in 1995 was
  an agreement under Article 80(5), not a unilateral declaration.
- **Looking for a Putrajaya DUN or ADUN.** There is none. There is only one
  Parliamentary seat.
- **Confusing Putrajaya with Cyberjaya.** Both were planned in the same
  Structure Plan in December 1994, but Cyberjaya remains within the State of
  Selangor.

## What's next

If you are tracing where a government matter is actually decided, read
[Kuala Lumpur](/en/states/kuala-lumpur) to understand the division between the
capital and the administrative centre, and [Selangor](/en/states/selangor) to
see the state that surrounds both without containing either. For its
constitutional basis, refer to the
[Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution).

## Sources

- Perlembagaan Persekutuan (Cetakan Semula, sebagaimana pada 15 Oktober 2020) — https://bhess.jpm.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Perlembagaan-Persekutuan-Cetakan-Semula-2020-1.pdf (Jabatan Peguam Negara / Jabatan Perdana Menteri)
- Perbadanan Putrajaya Act 1995 [Act 536] — https://lom.agc.gov.my/ilims/upload/portal/akta/LOM/EN/Act%20536.pdf (Laws of Malaysia, Jabatan Peguam Negara)
- Kronologi Pembangunan Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan Putrajaya — https://blog.ppj.gov.my/2014/05/kronologi-pembangunan-pusat-pentadbiran.html (Perbadanan Putrajaya)
- Background of Putrajaya — https://blog.ppj.gov.my/2014/05/background-of-putrajaya.html (Perbadanan Putrajaya)
- Laporan Tahunan Perbadanan Putrajaya 2023 — https://www.ppj.gov.my/storage/report/803/803.pdf (Perbadanan Putrajaya)
- Perdana Putra — https://www.pmo.gov.my/ms/perdana-putra/ (Pejabat Perdana Menteri Malaysia)
- Bahagian Parlimen — PPN W.P. Kuala Lumpur / Putrajaya — https://ppn.spr.gov.my/kualalumpur/?page_id=1548 (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia)
- Anggaran penduduk mengikut negeri (data terbuka) — https://open.dosm.gov.my/data-catalogue (Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia (DOSM))

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