Law of Malaysia

Malaysian law rests on a common law foundation inherited from British colonization of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo between the early nineteenth century and the 1960s, before independence in 1957 made imported British statutes and case law the starting point of the national system. Malaysian law also draws on the Torrens land registration system from Australia and the criminal procedure code and contracts act inherited from India. The Constitution of Malaysia is the supreme law, with federal statutes made by Parliament applying nationwide and state laws made by the State Legislative Assemblies applying regionally, federal law prevailing over any inconsistent state law under Article 75. Alongside this secular common law system, sharia law, known locally as syariah, governs personal matters such as marriage and inheritance for Muslims, making Malaysia a dual civil and religious legal system in which the doctrine of stare decisis still binds the secular courts.