2016 in Malaysia is the 59th anniversary of Malaysia's independence.
Incumbents Federal level
Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah (until 12 December) Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan (from 13 December) Raja Permaisuri Agong: Sultanah Haminah Hamidun of Kedah (until 12 December) Vacant (from 13 December) Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong: Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan (until 12 December) Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak (from 13 December) Prime Minister: Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak Deputy Prime Minister: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi President of the Dewan Negara: Abu Zahar Ujang (until 25 April) Vigneswaran Sanasee (from 26 April) Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat: Pandikar Amin Mulia Chief Justice: Arifin Zakaria
State level
Johor: Sultan of Johor: Sultan Ibrahim Menteri Besar of Johor: Mohamed Khaled Nordin Kedah: Sultan of Kedah: (Council of Regency of Kedah until 12 December) Tunku Sallehuddin (chairman) Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani (Members I) Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz (Members II) Menteri Besar of Kedah: Mukhriz Mahathir (until 3 February) Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah (from 4 February) Kelantan: Sultan of Kelantan: Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra (Regent from 13 December) Menteri Besar of Kelantan: Ahmad Yaakob Perlis: Raja of Perlis: Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Menteri Besar of Perlis: Azlan Man Perak: Sultan of Perak: Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Menteri Besar of Perak: Zambry Abdul Kadir Pahang: Sultan of Pahang: Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta'in Billah Menteri Besar of Pahang: Adnan Yaakob Selangor: Sultan of Selangor: Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Menteri Besar of Selangor: Mohamed Azmin Ali Terengganu: Sultan of Terengganu: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Menteri Besar of Terengganu: Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman Negeri Sembilan: Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Tuanku Muhriz Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan: Mohamad Hasan Penang: Governor of Penang: Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas Chief Minister of Penang: Lim Guan Eng Malacca: Governor of Malacca: Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob Chief Minister of Malacca: Idris Haron Sarawak: Governor of Sarawak: Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chief Minister of Sarawak: Adenan Satem Sabah: Governor of Sabah: Tun Juhar Mahiruddin Chief Minister of Sabah: Musa Aman
Events January
1 January The price of RON95 down by RM 0.10. The price of RON 97 down by RM 0.20 and Diesel down by RM 0.30. Johor and Kelantan bans vape and all vape stores in both states are closed. Johor changed its district names. Nusajaya is renamed as Iskandar Puteri. Meanwhile, Kulaijaya and Ledang districts are renamed as Kulai and Tangkak districts. A&W drive in restaurant in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan has ceased its premises after 37 years in operation which was begun in 1978. The toll collection of the Tun Salahuddin Bridge in Kuching, Sarawak is abolished. More people were evacuated in flood-hit Sarawak, raising the number of evacuees to 975 as of noon from 523 in the morning. KTM Komuter Northern Sector extends its service from Butterworth to Padang Besar. 2 January – The cabinet decided to halt all bauxite mining operation in Kuantan, Pahang. 4 January – All 120 vape outlets in Johor have ceased operations after various government agencies led by Johor police carried out massive raids since the beginning of the year. 7 January – Four enforcement officers from the Pahang Land and Mines Office were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly accepting bribes from illegal bauxite-mining operators. 11 January Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Abdul Razak and former MCA president Ling Liong Sik are attempting mediation to resolve a defamation suit linked to the RM2.6 billion donation issue. Muallim become the 11th district of Perak. Two Malaysians suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing more than 33 others during their assigned missions in Syria and Iraq last week. A book on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is launched as part of efforts to enhance the public's understanding over its implementation. 12 January – The MEASAT satellite celebrates its 20th anniversary. 13 January – Terengganu officially declared it is hit by a dengue outbreak. 14 January – The 40th anniversary of the death of the 2nd Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein. 14 January – 2016 Jakarta attacks: At least six killed after armed men carried out a series of apparently coordinated gun and bomb attacks in Jakarta, Indonesia. Wisma Putra confirms that there are no Malaysians affected by the Jakarta bomb explosions. Police have raised the alert level in Malaysia to the highest degree following today's attacks in Jakarta. Malaysia strongly condemns the attacks in Jakarta which claimed the lives of several innocent lives. Malaysia expressed its deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the families of innocent people who were killed or injured in the attacks. 15 January – Tunku Alif Hussein Saifuddin Al-Amin, 3rd and youngest son of the current Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz died at the age of 31 due to illness. His body was laid to rest at the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum in Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan. 16 January A man suspected of having links to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is detained by Malaysian police at the Jelatek LRT station in Ampang. National explorer Shahrom Abdullah successfully completed a Malaysian Seven Contingents Exploration Club (KE7B) expedition to reach the South Pole in a record 37 days. Johor and Selangor police increased their presence at public places following the terrorist attacks in Jakarta, in line with a statement from Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar that the security alert had been raised to the highest level. 17 January – Police have arrested a 28-year-old insurance agent who planned to carry out a lone wolf suicide bomb attack in Malaysia, in the wake of the terrorist attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in Jakarta, Indonesia on 14 January. 19 January – The National Security Council (NSC) has decided to raise the sensitivity level of the country's security and increase joint police-military patrols at tourist and public areas. 21 January – Mukhriz Mahathir lost the support and confidence of Kedah UMNO as Menteri Besar of Kedah and state party chief, with division leaders citing his weak leadership as reason that he must be replaced. 23 January – An estimated 4,000 protesters rallied in Kuala Lumpur in a last-ditch attempt to stop Malaysia from joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement that will be voted on in Parliament next week. 24 January – The first anniversary of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 crash: A piece of suspected plane wreckage has been found off the coast of southern Thailand, a local official said, prompting speculation it might belong to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished nearly two years ago. 24 January – Police have detained seven people believed to be linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. 27 January – The motion to decide on Malaysia's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) has been passed in the Dewan Rakyat. 28 January – The 2016 Federal Budget recalibration highlights: To increase the people's discretionary income to cope with the rising cost of living, the Government has agreed to lower the employees' contribution to Employee's Provident Fund (EPF) by 3% beginning March 2016 to December 2017. Contribution by employers will remain at 12% (for employees earning above RM5,000) and 13% (for employees earning RM5,000 and below). The new rate means employees have the option of contributing only 8% of their salary to EPF. This is expected to increase private sector spending by RM8 billion a year. However, for taxpayers, the additional discretionary income they get from this will still be taxed. The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) will establish markets or MyFarm Outlets that sell agricultural produce directly such as fish, poultry, meat, vegetables and fruits at prices between 5% and 20% below market prices. These outlets will be established in 11 locations, the first location being Precinct 7, Putrajaya in March. The Government will liberalise Approved Permits (Aps) for eight agricultural products including coffee beans and meats. This will ensure consistency of supplies for these items. The Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) to identify more fair price shops, including foreign and local hypermarkets, and increase the number of these shops from 640 to 1,000 this year. According to Senator Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Malaysia's poverty rate went down to 0.6% last year from 1.7% in 2012. These hardcore poor households may be struggling to cope with the increasing cost of living, hence the MyBeras programme will be introduced where 20 kg of rice will be distributed to these households every month until December 2016. All new housing projects priced up to RM300,000 will be limited to first-time house buyers only, with immediate effect. The Government will organise Integrated House Ownership Expo Roadshows, which will offer more than 100,000 housing units under programmes like the National Housing Department (JPN), 1Malaysia People Housing Programme (PR1MA), Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), and Perumahan Penjawat Awam 1Malaysia (PPA1M). For houses priced at RM35,000 under the People's Housing Programme (Projek Perumahan Rakyat or PPR), the Government will offer a financing package at 4% through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) and Bank Rakyat. This will benefit more than 10,000 house owners. The middle-income earners are not left behind in this revision with the reintroduction of the special tax relief of RM2,000 for individual taxpayers with a monthly income of RM8,000 or below. This is valid for the Year of Assessment 2015 and will benefit two million taxpayers. This was last introduced for Year of Assessment 2013. The National Scholarship Programme for 20 top SPM students to pursue study at renowned universities globally. The Special Engineering Programme for 200 students to Japan, Korea, Germany and France. The Bursary Graduate Programme for 744 students to pursue undergraduate studies in public universities and private institutions of higher learning in the country. The new intake of 8,000 students will be awarded scholarships to pursue undergraduate studies in the country. RM5 billion will be allocated for the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) for undergraduates, MyBrain15, Academic Training Scheme for Bumiputera (SLAB) and Academic Training Scheme of Public Higher Education Institutions (SLAI) programmes will be continued to intensify investment in human capital, Increase the students from 25,000 overall to: 15,000 new students for the MyMaster programme, 5,000 for MyPhD, and 300 for SLAI. These programmes will be given an additional allocation of RM300 million. The promotion of domestic tourism will be intensified through organising sales of integrated domestic holiday packages. The Government will facilitate the entry of foreign tourists by expediting the implementation of eVisa to several countries which have been identified. Tourists from China will not require a visa to visit Malaysia from 1 March to 31 December 2016 (for a period of stay not exceeding 15 days). Double compliance and auditing efforts on tax evaders, Special consideration for penalty on tax evaders to encourage them to come forward and declare their past years' income if tax arrears are settled before 31 December 2016, For duty-free islands, the Government will restructure the selling channel of cigarettes and liquors limited to duty-free outlets licensed by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD). This is expected to reduce revenue loss of up to RM1 billion, Free duty treatment on imported vehicles in duty-free islands will be tightened,