Plurality Of Malaysia

The slogan "Malaysia, Truly Asia" is commonly heard around the world as part of a large and expensive advertising campaign sponsored by the Malaysian government. It is an attempt to attract foreign visitors to this country of 22 million people which boasts of a highly diverse ethnic and religious composition. 51 percent of the population is Malay, Chinese make up 26 percent and Indians comprise 7 percent of the population. Various ethnic groups, such as different indigenous groups mostly situated in the Borneo region, and Eurasians and migrants workers, most of whom are Indonesians, make up the remaining 16 percent of the population.

Despite the Muslim majority, Malaysia is not an Islamic state. Instead it is considered to be a "Malay-dominated plural society" where Malays, as the first people of the land, are entitled to special rights and privileges in the country as part of an 'ethnic bargain' between the Malays, the Chinese, and the Indians during the formation of Malaysia in 1957 after nearly two decades under British rule. In exchange, the Chinese and Indians were granted Malaysian citizenship. This 'ethnic bargain' highlights the mutual respect and tolerance among these ethnic groups that has existed ever since they came into contact in the early 16th century in Southeast Asia. This mutual respect became the foundational basis for Malaysia's multi-religious society.

The spectacular economic growth of Malaysia in recent years has greatly impacted the state of religious pluralism in Malaysia. However, this growth has also created an attitude of indifference, if not silence, when it comes to matters pertaining to religion in Malaysia. Many Malaysians are not prone to discuss religious matters publicly due to the sensitive nature of such discussion as well as a fear that such discussion might trigger racial unrest. The role of the government in promoting a policy of silence rather than active discussion regarding issues of religion further exacerbates this attitude of indifference. As a result, many Malaysians suffer from a paradox; they remain a sophisticated society in terms of their material growth but are constrained when it comes to understanding their multi-religiosity.

For me, I don't really mind Malaysia having different ethnics. The various races in our country allow me to learn their culture. This allows me to gain knowledge on different races such as the Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans. I got to know what type of traditional clothes they wear, what food they eat and what are their taboos. From this, we can acknowledge each other and respect each other’s culture. I am really proud to be born in Malaysia, a multi religious country. There was often war among races in the older days but as people started to realize the importance of working together, thing changed. Now, there is high tolerance among different races. There are lesser arguments.

Because united we stand, divided we fall.

🐯 Rawr 🐯