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| Terengganu State Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
| Name | Terengganu State Legislative Assembly |
| Native name | Dewan Undangan Negeri Terengganu |
| Legislature | 15th Terengganu State Assembly |
| House type | Unicameral |
| Leader1 type | Speaker |
| Leader1 | Mohd Husaimi Hussin |
| Leader2 type | Menteri Besar |
| Leader2 | Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar |
| Members | 32 |
| Voting system | First-past-the-post |
| Last election | 12 May 2023 |
| Meeting place | Wisma Darul Iman, Kuala Terengganu |
Terengganu State Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Terengganu, seated at Wisma Darul Iman in Kuala Terengganu and constituted following state elections such as the 2023 Terengganu state election, operating within the constitutional framework of Malaysia alongside institutions like the Parliament of Malaysia, the Office of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and the Prime Minister's Office. The Assembly's membership and procedures are shaped by instruments including the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, the Constitution of Terengganu, and precedents from neighboring legislatures such as the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, the Johor State Legislative Assembly, and the Penang State Legislative Assembly. Its political dynamics frequently involve parties and coalitions like the Perikatan Nasional, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, Barisan Nasional, and Pakatan Harapan, and personalities drawn from national arenas including Anwar Ibrahim, Muhyiddin Yassin, and Mahathir Mohamad.
The Assembly traces its origins to the colonial-era administrative councils and the postcolonial reconstitution after the Federation of Malaya, with antecedents linked to the Sultanate of Terengganu, the Anglo-Siamese Treaty, and the British Resident system, evolving through milestones such as the 1955 Federal Legislative Council and the 1957 independence of Malaya. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, episodes involving actors like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Abdul Razak Hussein, and Ismail Abdul Rahman influenced state-federal relations that affected the Assembly's competencies, while later developments saw interplay with events including the 1988 Malaysian constitutional crisis, the Reformasi movement led by Anwar Ibrahim, and the 2018 general election that realigned coalitions such as Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional. In the 21st century, shifts brought by figures such as Najib Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin, and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have coincided with electoral changes in Terengganu, including contestation by Parti Islam Se-Malaysia and coalitions like Perikatan Nasional, reflected in legislative composition and standing orders.
The Assembly comprises 32 elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) representing constituencies established by the Election Commission of Malaysia, mirroring apportionment practices seen in Sabah and Sarawak, and influenced by demographic data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia and census operations. Members are typically affiliated with parties including Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, United Malays National Organisation, Democratic Action Party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, and influential officeholders have included Speakers, Deputy Speakers, and party leaders whose careers intersect with institutions like the Dewan Rakyat, Dewan Negara, and state executive councils. The Speaker, elected from among MLAs or qualified individuals, presides over sittings in accordance with precedents from assemblies such as the Perak State Legislative Assembly and the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly, while by-elections follow vacancies in line with rulings of the Federal Court of Malaysia and directives from the Election Commission.
The Assembly exercises legislative authority over state matters listed in the State List under the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, with areas intersecting Sultanate prerogatives and statutes such as the Syariah courts' jurisdiction, land administration, state Islamic enactments, and local government matters analogous to functions in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly and Sabah State Legislative Assembly. It scrutinizes state budgets prepared by the Menteri Besar and the State Executive Council, debates supply estimates, and passes appropriations similar to procedures in the Dewan Rakyat; its motions, questions, and select committee reports influence implementation by agencies such as the Terengganu State Islamic Religious Council and the State Forestry Department. Judicial review of Assembly acts involves courts like the Federal Court and the Court of Appeal under principles developed in cases involving the Attorney General's Chambers and legal doctrines from legal scholars such as Shad Saleem Faruqi.
Members are elected using the first-past-the-post voting system in single-member constituencies as administered by the Election Commission of Malaysia, with delimitation processes paralleling reviews undertaken in Kelantan and Pahang and guided by legislation such as the Elections Act and the Federal Constitution's provisions on electoral rolls. State elections are typically synchronized with general elections but may be held separately under circumstances evidenced in the Sabah 2020 election and the Sarawak 2016 cycle; campaign activities feature parties like Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional, and Pakatan Harapan and are regulated by bodies including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission concerning electoral offences.
Sittings follow standing orders modeled after Westminster-derived practices present in the Dewan Rakyat, with oral questions, laid papers, motions, adjournment debates, and committee inquiries; procedural rulings draw on precedents from the Privy Council era and later Malaysian jurisprudence. Committees—such as Public Accounts, Public Petitions, and Privileges—mirror counterparts in assemblies like the Selangor State Legislative Assembly and are empowered to summon witnesses, examine accounts, and produce reports that influence ministries and state departments including the Terengganu State Treasury and the State Public Works Department. The Speaker enforces decorum, interprets standing orders, and may invoke disciplinary measures consistent with rulings from the Federal Court and historical practice within Malaysian legislatures.
The Menteri Besar is appointed by the Sultan of Terengganu, conventionally the leader commanding a majority in the Assembly, reflecting monarchic conventions similar to selections in the Johor Sultanate and Kelantan Sultanate and constitutional interactions seen during the 2009 Perak constitutional crisis. The Executive Council, chaired by the Menteri Besar, comprises MLAs and liaises with federal ministries such as the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister's Department on matters of concurrent interest; confidence and supply are tested through votes in the Assembly with remedies including dissolution advised to the Sultan and subsequent writs issued by the Election Commission. Intergovernmental relations engage institutions like the Conference of Rulers and federal agencies including PETRONAS when revenue and resource allocations intersect with state prerogatives.
The Assembly convenes at Wisma Darul Iman in Kuala Terengganu, a complex housing legislative chambers, offices for MLAs, committee rooms, and archives comparable to legislative buildings such as the Perdana Putra complex and the Dewan Tun Razak, with facilities managed by the State Secretary's Office and the Public Works Department. The chamber contains seating, a Speaker's chair, and public galleries designed for press from agencies like Bernama and media outlets such as The Star and Malaysiakini, while nearby institutions include the Sultan Mahmud Airport, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, and educational centers like Universiti Malaysia Terengganu which engage with legislative outreach and public consultations.
Category:State legislatures of Malaysia Category:Politics of Terengganu