Heads of government in Malaysia's many states take on various titles. Nine of the states in the Peninsular who each have historical monarchs are known as the Menteri Besar (Jawi: , literally Grand Minister or First Minister; abbreviated as MB), while the rest in the federation are titled Chief Minister (abbreviated as CM; in Malay: Ketua Menteri; abbreviated as KM). Until 2022, the head of government of Sarawak was also styled as the Chief Minister, thereafter it was changed to Premier (Premier).
The nine hereditary rulers of the Malay states and the appointed governors of the other four states serve as constitutional and ceremonial heads of their states, while the state executive authority rests with the Menteris Besar, chief ministers and premier. Following elections to the state legislative assembly, the ruler or governor usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the state government. The ruler or governor appoints and swears in the Menteri Besar, chief ministers and premier, whose executive council (or Cabinet in Sabah and Sarawak) are collectively responsible to the assembly. Based on the Westminster system, provided that they retain the confidence of the assembly, the terms of Menteris Besar, chief ministers and premier can last for the length of the assembly's life—a maximum of five years. There are no limits to the number of terms that the Menteri Besar, chief minister and premier can serve.
Background
thumb|The Constitution of Johor
In most states within Malaysia, the office was created by the British colonial government in 1948, in tandem with the creation of the Federation of Malaya. However, Johor was the first state to create the Menteri Besar position, subject to Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor (Johor State Constitution) enforced by Sultan Abu Bakar. This had made Johor the first Malay state to adopt a system of constitutional monarchy. After Malaya gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the office bearer is appointed among the state legislative assembly members by the Sultans. The Menteri Besar, chief minister and premier usually come from the party (or coalition) which commands a majority in the state assembly.
Relations between the Menteris Besar, chief ministers, premier and other levels of government
For many decades, the first ministers (Menteri Besar), chief ministers (Ketua Menteri) and premier (Premier) met with each other and the prime minister at the Meeting of Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers(Mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri Besar, Ketua-Ketua Menteri dan premier).
Selection process
Eligibility
By comparison, the thirteen state constitutions (Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri or Perlembagaan Negeri) have some similarities and also some differences in setting the principal qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the Menteri Besar, chief minister and premier.
A Menteri Besar or Ketua Menteri or Premier must be a Malaysian citizen, of at least 21 years of age and a member of state legislative assembly who commands the confidence of the majority of the members of the assembly. Upon appointment, he shall not hold any office of profit and engage in any trade, business or profession that will cause conflict of interest.
For four states in Malaysia with governors (namely Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak), the office of Ketua Menteri and Premier are open to any Malaysian citizen regardless of their religion, ethnicity, and gender. However, citizens by naturalization or registration are still prohibited by state laws.
Election
The Menteri Besar, chief minister and premier are elected through a majority in the state legislative assembly. This is procedurally established by the vote of confidence in the legislative assembly, as suggested by the Ruler (or Governor) of the state who is the appointing authority.
Oath
Since, according to the constitution, the Menteri Besar is appointed by the ruler (or, in case of the chief minister and premier, the governor), the swearing-in is done before the ruler (or governor) of the state.
Remuneration
Remuneration of the Menteri Besar, chief minister, premier as well as other members of the executive council (or Cabinet) and members of the state legislative assembly are to be decided by the respective state legislatures. Hence this varies from state to state according to their ordinance or enactment that amended by the state legislative.
Present Menteris Besar, chief ministers and premier
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
! State
! Title
! Portrait
! Incumbent
! colspan=2| Party
! Term
! Time Serving
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Onn Hafiz Ghazi
| style="background:;"|
| BN (UMNO)
| 15 March 2022
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor
| style="background:;"|
| PN (PAS)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Mohd Nassuruddin Daud
| style="background:;"|
| PN (PAS)
|
|
|-
|
| Chief Minister
| frameless|132x132px
| style="text-align:left"| Ab Rauf Yusoh
| style="background:;"|
| BN (UMNO)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Aminuddin Harun
| style="background:;"|
| PH (PKR)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail
| style="background:;"|
| BN (UMNO)
|
|
|-
|
| Chief Minister
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Chow Kon Yeow
| style="background:;"|
| PH (DAP)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Saarani Mohamad
| style="background:;"|
| BN (UMNO)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| frameless|132x132px
| style="text-align:left"| Abu Bakar Hamzah
| style="background:;"|
| PN (BERSATU)
| 28 December 2025
|
|-
|
| Chief Minister
| 133x133px
| style="text-align:left"| Hajiji Noor
| style="background:" |
| GRS (GAGASAN)
|
|
|-
|
| Premier
| 133x133px
| style="text-align:left" | Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg
| style="background:;" |
| GPS (PBB)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
| style="text-align:left"| Amirudin Shari
| style="background:;"|
| PH (PKR)
|
|
|-
|
| Menteri Besar
| 100px
|style="text-align:left"| Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar
| style="background:;"|
| PN (PAS)
|
|
|}
Timeline
{| class="toccolours" style="margin: 0 auto;"
|-
|<timeline>
ImageSize = width:700 height:600
PlotArea = width:650 height:402 left:50 bottom:140
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1957 till:2030
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1957
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1957
Legend = position:bottom columns:4
TextData =
pos:(180,580) textcolor:black fontsize:M
text:Malaysian Prime Minister and State Chief Ministers since 1957
Colors =
id:BN value:rgb(0.012,0.357,0.608) legend:BN
id:BN_(as_Opposition_State) value:rgb(0.024,0.178,0.912) legend:BN_(as_Opposition_State)
id:PN value:rgb(0.000,0.000,0.450) legend:PN
id:PAS value:rgb(0.235,0.702,0.443) legend:PMIP/PAS
id:PH value:rgb(0.900,0.000,0.000) legend:PH
id:WARISAN value:rgb(0.750,0.870,0.990) legend:WARISAN
id:GPS value:rgb(0.765,0.288,0.288) legend:GPS
id:GRS value:rgb(0.370,0.670,0.970) legend:GRS
id:PKR value:rgb(0.529,0.808,0.980) legend:PKR
id:DAP value:rgb(0.900,0.450,0.450) legend:DAP
id:PGRM value:rgb(0.863,0.078,0.235) legend:Gerakan_(as_Non-BN)
id:PBS value:rgb(0.370,0.670,0.970) legend:PBS_(as_Non-BN)
id:SA value:rgb(0.506,0.549,0.506) legend:Sabah_/_Sarawak_Alliance
id:PAP value:rgb(0.000,0.533,0.761) legend:People's_Action_Party
id:NON value:rgb(0.000,0.000,0.000) legend:No_official_party
id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97)
BarData =
bar:MYS text:"MYS"
bar:JHR text:"JHR"
bar:KDH text:"KDH"
bar:KTN text:"KTN"
bar:MLK text:"MLK"
bar:NSN text:"NSN"
bar:PHG text:"PHG"
bar:PNG text:"PNG"
bar:PRK text:"PRK"
bar:PLS text:"PLS"
bar:SGR text:"SGR"
bar:TRG text:"TRG"
bar:SBH text:"SBH"
bar:SWK text:"SWK"
bar:SGP text:"SGP"
Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas
PlotData =
mark:(line,white) fontsize:S shift:(25,-5)
bar:MYS
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1970 color:BN
from:1970 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1976 color:BN
from:1976 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1981 color:BN
from:1981 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2003 color:BN
from:2003 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2009 color:BN
from:2009 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:PH
from:2020 till:2021 color:PN
from:2021 till:2022 color:BN
from:2022 till:2027 color:PH
bar:JHR
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1967 color:BN
from:1967 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1982 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2019 color:PH
from:2019 till:2020 color:PH
from:2020 till:2022 color:BN
from:2022 till:2027 color:BN_(as_Opposition_State)
bar:KDH
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1967 color:BN
from:1967 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1985 color:BN
from:1985 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1996 color:BN
from:1996 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2005 color:BN
from:2005 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:PAS
from:2013 till:2016 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:PH
from:2020 till:2023 color:PAS
from:2023 till:2028 color:PAS
bar:KTN
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:PAS
from:1964 till:1969 color:PAS
from:1969 till:1973 color:PAS
from:1973 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1977 color:BN
from:1977 till:1978 color:NON
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:PAS
from:1995 till:1999 color:PAS
from:1999 till:2004 color:PAS
from:2004 till:2008 color:PAS
from:2008 till:2013 color:PAS
from:2013 till:2018 color:PAS
from:2018 till:2023 color:PAS
from:2023 till:2028 color:PAS
bar:MLK
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1967 color:BN
from:1967 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1972 color:BN
from:1972 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1994 color:BN
from:1994 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1997 color:BN
from:1997 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:PH
from:2020 till:2021 color:BN
from:2021 till:2023 color:BN
from:2023 till:2026 color:BN
bar:NSN
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2023 color:PH
from:2023 till:2028 color:PH
bar:PHG
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1972 color:BN
from:1972 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1981 color:BN
from:1981 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:BN_(as_Opposition_State)
from:2020 till:2022 color:BN
from:2022 till:2027 color:BN
bar:PNG
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1973 color:PGRM
from:1973 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:DAP
from:2013 till:2018 color:DAP
from:2018 till:2023 color:PH
from:2023 till:2028 color:PH
bar:PRK
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1960 color:BN
from:1960 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1970 color:BN
from:1970 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1977 color:BN
from:1977 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1983 color:BN
from:1983 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2009 color:PAS
from:2009 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:PH
from:2020 till:2021 color:PN
from:2021 till:2022 color:BN
from:2022 till:2027 color:BN
bar:PLS
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1971 color:BN
from:1971 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1981 color:BN
from:1981 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:BN_(as_Opposition_State)
from:2020 till:2022 color:BN
from:2022 till:2025 color:PN
from:2025 till:2027 color:PN
bar:SGR
from:1957 till:1959 color:BN
from:1959 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1976 color:BN
from:1976 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1997 color:BN
from:1997 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2000 color:BN
from:2000 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:PKR
from:2013 till:2014 color:PKR
from:2014 till:2018 color:PKR
from:2018 till:2023 color:PH
from:2023 till:2028 color:PH
bar:TRG
from:1957 till:1959 color:NON
from:1959 till:1961 color:PAS
from:1961 till:1964 color:BN
from:1964 till:1969 color:BN
from:1969 till:1970 color:BN
from:1970 till:1971 color:BN
from:1971 till:1974 color:BN
from:1974 till:1978 color:BN
from:1978 till:1982 color:BN
from:1982 till:1986 color:BN
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1995 color:BN
from:1995 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2004 color:PAS
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2014 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2023 color:PAS
from:2023 till:2028 color:PAS
bar:SBH
from:1963 till:1965 color:SA
from:1965 till:1967 color:SA
from:1967 till:1971 color:SA
from:1971 till:1975 color:BN
from:1975 till:1976 color:BN
from:1976 till:1981 color:BN
from:1981 till:1985 color:BN
from:1985 till:1986 color:PBS
from:1986 till:1990 color:BN
from:1990 till:1994 color:PBS
from:1994 till:1996 color:BN
from:1996 till:1998 color:BN
from:1998 till:1999 color:BN
from:1999 till:2001 color:BN
from:2001 till:2003 color:BN
from:2003 till:2004 color:BN
from:2004 till:2008 color:BN
from:2008 till:2013 color:BN
from:2013 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2020 color:WARISAN
from:2020 till:2022 color:PN
from:2022 till:2025 color:GRS
from:2025 till:2030 color:GRS
bar:SWK
from:1963 till:1966 color:SA
from:1966 till:1970 color:SA
from:1970 till:1974 color:SA
from:1974 till:1979 color:SA
from:1979 till:1981 color:BN
from:1981 till:1983 color:BN
from:1983 till:1987 color:BN
from:1987 till:1991 color:BN
from:1991 till:1996 color:BN
from:1996 till:2001 color:BN
from:2001 till:2006 color:BN
from:2006 till:2011 color:BN
from:2011 till:2014 color:BN
from:2014 till:2016 color:BN
from:2016 till:2017 color:BN
from:2017 till:2018 color:BN
from:2018 till:2021 color:GPS
from:2021 till:2026 color:GPS
bar:SGP
from:1963 till:1965 color:PAP
</timeline>
|}
See also
- Opposition (Malaysia)