The Federal Constitution of Malaysia divides the authority of the Federation into the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. These three arms of government provide the basis on which democracy is practised, which is through the separation of powers, with checks and balances. In practice, however, the lines between the branches of government may not be as clear-cut.At the ninth Perdana Discourse Series, the fourth and longest-serving Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, explained the history of Malaysia's Westminster-model of governance, its unique elements, and the overlaps between the different power jurisdictions. Mixing history, real-life examples, and hard opinions, Tun Dr Mahathir's keynote address shines a light on some of the grey areas of the subject, and provides insights that can only come from decades of leadership experience.This publication presents the edited transcript of the keynote address as well as question and answer session, and is a must-have addition for bookshelves on Malaysian politics and political history. Perdana Leadership Foundation was chartered in January 2003 as a non-profit organisation, founded with gifts from people who supported the vision of a thriving research and learning institution dedicated to the study of Malaysian leadership and nation-building. It is unique in the sense that it began as an entirely private sector initiative, seed-funded and organised by private sector individuals and corporations. Most of the Foundation's present trustees were the early benefactors of this Foundation.The Foundation's physical home in Precinct 8, Putrajaya, was completed in October 2003. The stately building now houses the Perdana Library, an auditorium as well as a multi-purpose hall in addition to the office of the Foundation's Honorary President, YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.A tax-exempt, non-profit organisation, the Foundation intends to become the premier institution for the study of Malaysia's Prime Ministers and the central resource centre for research into national stewardship as well as a platform for reflection, debate, and discussion with distinguished figures in Malaysian leadership
