MPW 123 Malaysian Studies

By Hj. Kamal Abd Razak MBA Techno-Entrepreneurship kamalrazak@must.edu.my 012-6550746

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THE MALAYSIAN SOCIETY

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Who are

Malaysians?

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Society
a particular community of people living in a country or region, and having shared customs, laws, and organizations
Oxford English Dictionary

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Society
Society can also be explained as an organized group of people associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. Wikipedia
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Plural Society

A situation in which two or more culture groups occupy the same territory but maintain their separate cultural identities.
www.geographic.org/glossary.html

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Plural Society

A condition in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain their traditional cultures or special interests within a common (shared) culture.
www.gecdf.com/diversity/glossary.html

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Plural Society

In the social sciences, pluralism is a framework of interaction in which groups show sufficient respect and tolerance of each other, that they fruitfully coexist and interact without conflict or assimilation.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralism
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Population Composition and Distribution

The total population of Malaysia, was 26,385,858
Of the total Malaysian citizens, Malay 50%, Chinese 23%, Indigenous 11%, and Indian 7%, others 8% (2004 est.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, International Programs Center

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The Malays

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Malays
The largest ethnic group in Malaysia, accounting for more than half of the total population today, is the Malays With the oldest indigenous peoples they form a group called bumiputera, which translates as "sons" or "princes of the soil."

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Malays
Perhaps the most significant influence that has served as a unifying and binding factor among the Malays is the religion of Islam. Today, almost all Malays in Malaysia are Muslims.

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Malays
In the Constitution, a Malay is defined as someone who speaks the Malay language, practices Malay customs and professes the Islamic religion. This definition of a Malay implies that anyone can become a Malay if he fulfills the three conditions.

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Chinese

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Chinese
The Chinese came to this country in large numbers towards the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. The waves of Chinese arrivals became intense at the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century in line with development of tin-mining.

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Chinese
During the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, most Chinese did not intend to settle permanently in Malaya. Consequently, their presence was not seen as having any influence on the composition of the population. However, in the 1930s the situation changed.
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Chinese
The Chinese consider staying permanently in this country partly because of the unstable political and economic conditions in China. The position of the Chinese in Malaya was first recognized by the British when the Malayan Union was established in 1946.

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Chinese
And later accepted by the indigenous Malay community. Through the 1948 Federation of Malaya agreement. From then on, Chinese began to be citizens of Malaya, causing the population composition of the country to take on a new dimension. Today, the Chinese in Malaysia make the second largest community.
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Indian

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Indian

The Indian community in Malaysia is the smallest of the three main ethnic groups, accounting for about 10% of the countrys population. Indians first came to Malaya for barter trade, especially in the former Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang.
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Indian
One of the main reasons the Indians willingly left their homeland for Malaya was because of the caste system being practiced in their country. The Indians who came to Malaysia brought with them the Hindu culture its unique temples, delicious cuisine and colorful garments

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Indian

Hindu tradition remains strong until today in the Indian community of Malaysia

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Quote
In these past years of nation-building, we have not become less Malay, less Indian, or less Chinese but we have all become more Malaysian
(Ling Liong Sik, Malaysian Chinese Association, Secretary-Generals Report 1993:9)

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Questions

1. Define the word Society 2. List the main ethnic groups and subethnic communities in Malaysia 3. Have we created so called a mixed Malaysian Society

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Thank You

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