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Law of Unwritten

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Submitted By azizie
Words 1120
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TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE
Introduction
History of Unwritten Law
Objective of Unwriten Law
General Principle of Unwritten Law
Element of Unwritten Law
The Different between a Unwritten Law and Written Law
Example of Unwritten Case

UNWRITTEN LAW
It is simply that portion of Malaysian law which is not written, i.e., law which is not being enacted by Parliament or State Assemblies and which is not found in the written Federal and State Constitutions. Unwritten law is found in cases decided by the courts, local customs, etc. Unwritten law comprises of the following. * English law
The common law of England does apply in Malaysia. However, not all of England’s common law forms part of Malaysian Law. Section 3 (1) of the Civil Law Act 1956 ( Revised 1972) provides that, in Peninsular Malaysia, the courts shall apply the common law of England as well as equity as administered in England on April 1956. In the states of Sabah and Sarawak, the common law of England and the rules of equity together with the statutes of general application shall be applied
However, the application of the English law throughout Malaysia is subject to two limitations: a) It is applied only in the absence of local statutes on the particular subjects. Local law takes precedence over English law as the latter is meant to fill the gaps (lacuna) in the local system. b) Only that part of the English law is suited to local circumstances will be applied. The provision to Section 3(1) of the Civil Law Act, 1956 is authority for this. It states at the common law, rules of equity and statutes of general application shall be applied so far only as the circumstances of the States of Malaysia and their respective inhabitants permit, and subject to such qualifications as local circumstances render necessary. The reason for this provision is that, in a nation of diverse races

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