The Basic Structure Doctrine in Malaysia: Themes and Perspectives (Constitutionalism in Asia)

This book presents an in-depth interrogation of the theory and application of the Basic Structure Doctrine in the Federation of Malaysia. The Basic Structure Doctrine, famously introduced in the 1973 Indian Supreme decision of Kesavananda Bharati v State of Kerala AIR - which held that certain core or fundamental features in the Constitution of India could not be amended by Parliament even if it met all procedural requirements - was initially rejected when it was first argued in Malaysia in the 1975 case of Loh Kooi Choon v Government of Malaysia and lay dormant for the next three decades. Judicial winds shifted in 2010 when Malaysia’s apex court, the Federal Court, cited Kesavananda with approval in the case of Sivarasa Rasiah v Badan Peguam Malaysia & Anor, and observed that it was ‘clear from the way in which the Federal Constitution is constructed that there are certain features that constitute its basic fabric’ and that ‘any statute (including one amending the Constitution) that o