The Malaysian Houses of Parliament ( Malay: ''Bangunan Parlimen Malaysia''), is a building complex where the

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

assembles. The structure is located at the Lake Gardens in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, 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 ...

'' (

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

) and the ''

Dewan Negara The Dewan Negara (English: Senate; 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, with two senators for each state, while the oth ...

'' (

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 governm ...

since the late-1990s, the parliament continues to convene at Kuala Lumpur's Parliament House.

Construction

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, ‏تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...

, 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 This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

, 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 o ...

, 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.

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