Nation Building In Malaysia Research Articles

A fictocritical narration of the complexity of nation-building in Malaysia

Nation-building in Malaysia can be problematic due to its politicized racial divides. Malaysia as a nation is 60 this year, but issues of race and ethnicity are still prevalent factors that may thwart racial togetherness in modern Malaysia. Malaysia’s different races live in harmony but not necessarily in unity. This article centers upon the racial issues of Malaysia creatively and critically. It looks at the sociopolitical, cultural, and mythical nuances in the form of creative arts, where the genre of fictocriticism serves as a creative contextualization narrating the complexity of the idea of nation and racial identity. In other words, this study used a creative arts methodology approach where fictocriticism is put into practice to show the iterative processes of practice-led research and research-led practice following the ‘Iterative Cyclic Web’ model (Smith & Roger, 2009). Fictocriticism produces a dual narrative: one which employs a fictional voice and the other, a critical voice. The critical voice in the fictocriticism allows for commentaries on the issues of the positioning of ‘self’ and ‘other.’ In addition, an exegesis, in the forms of results and discussion, was provided after the fictocritical parts to explicate further and contextualize issues related to nation-building in Malaysia. It is hoped that this article may contribute to narrating the nation, its hopes and aspirations, in the context of creative arts.

Malaysian Street Rally: A Threat to the Nation or Human Security

Aim: Rally or street demonstration is not considered a new phenomenon in Malaysia. Organising rallies or street protests are often associated with the crime act of public order that can jeopardise national security. Methodology: The issue of street demonstrations can also be viewed from the context of the clash between national security and human security regime. Results: This paper will take an academic approach to discuss more objectively on street rally from four main perspectives, namely: i) Street Rally from The Perspectives Of Law And Security ii) Human Rights And Civil Demands; And iii) Public Reactions And It’s Implication In The Political, Economic, And Social Aspects. Conclusion: Based Interview and literature reviews, this paper will conclude a comprehensive analysis about the street demonstrations by focusing on aspects of human security and ways to deal with this phenomenon in the context of nation building in Malaysia. Originality/Value: this study was conducted for Organising rallies or street protests are often associated with the crime act of public order that can jeopardise national security

Citizenship Education: Challenges and Possibilities in Malaysia

This article explores Citizenship Education in Malaysia as a cultural discourse in Malaysia. The conception of citizenship is problematic because it is a product of social fragmentation that carries legal and sociological meanings. Citizenship in this article refers to the learning and teaching as an educational process to improve or achieve the aims inherent to the legal meaning. The objective of this article is to pull together citizenship and education as central themes, not legal but the sociological aspects, with ‘nation-of-intent’ as a conceptual framework. Nevertheless, the present effort of citizenship education in Malaysia is based on a particular form of ‘nation-of-intent’ (Bangsa Malaysia). As nation-building in Malaysia is a state without a nation, the present effort does not include ideas to the nation when promoting citizenship education- the notion of ‘equality in diversity’ and not only ‘unity in diversity’. The concept of citizenship and citizenship education in Malaysia is prompting only one form of ‘nation-of intent’ available in the country, whereas there are other nations as well, apparently. An implication of it is that the concept of citizenship and thus, nation-building in Malaysia is still fraught with confusion. The presence of plurality of ‘nation-of-intent’ in contemporary Malaysia demonstrates the fact that dissenting voices are present and heard, within and without government. Hence, in the context of challenges and possibilities, there is a need to clarify and explore the meaning of citizenship in diverse and democracy in a nation-state, the multiple views of citizenship and the dimensions of citizenship education in Malaysia.

KEFAHAMAN KONSEP BANGSA MALAYSIA DALAM KALANGAN MAHASISWA: KAJIAN TERHADAP KURSUS PEMBENTUKAN & PEMBINAAN NEGARA BANGSA

A nation state is a sovereign country that has a clear territorial boundaries and the territory is inhabited by a group of people who are bound by the same citizenship and identify themselves as a nation. A strong Bangsa Malaysia is such a highest point of the nation-building in Malaysia. In this case, students are an important group to be exposed to the process of strengthening the concept so that a strong Bangsa Malaysia can be realized. This study was conducted to identify the level of understanding of the respondents who took part in this study on their knowledge of the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. In addition, this study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the course on Pembentukan dan Pembinaan Negara Bangsa (HNH3013) in shaping students' thinking on the understanding of the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. This is a quantitative research and the results of the study are described by descriptive statistical analysis. Overall, the results of this study found that the level of respondents' understanding of Bangsa Malaysia concept is good. While the HNH3013 course is effective in shaping students' thinking on the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. Based on the findings, this study identifies several things that need to be emphasized by the authorities in further strengthening students' understanding of the concept of Bangsa Malaysia. These include leaders from various religions, acceptance of the concept of Bangsa Malaysia and the latest national policies in further strengthening Bangsa Malaysia.

Citizenship Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

This chapter explores Citizenship Education in Malaysia in the context of its current experiences as we approach the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution. As a cultural discourse, the problematic conception of citizenship is a product of social fragmentation in Malaysia. Citizenship can carry two meanings - legal and sociological. The legal simply refers to a subject’s right and duties to be recognized as a legally permanent inhabitant of a state. Secondly, the development of citizenship, understood in sociological terms, would involve a transformative process in which individuals come to see themselves as part of a wider citizen body, to which they owe obligations involving duties as well as having rights. As such, ‘citizenship’ in this chapter refers to an educational process: learning and teaching to improve or achieve the aims inherent to the legal meaning. The objective of this chapter is to pull together citizenship and education as central themes, - not legal but the sociological aspects, with the ‘nations-of-intent’ as a conceptual framework. Nevertheless, the present effort of citizenship education in Malaysia is based on a particular form of ‘nation-of-intent’ (Bangsa Malaysia). As nation-building in Malaysia is a state without a nation (and it has many nations-of-intent), the present effort does not include ideas to the nation when promoting citizenship education- the notion of ‘equality in diversity’ and not only ‘unity in diversity’. The concept of citizenship and citizenship education in Malaysia is prompting only one form of ‘nation-of intent’ available in the country, whereas, there are other nations as well, apparently. An implication of it is that the concept of citizenship and thus, nation-building in Malaysia is still fraught with confusion. The presence of plurality of ‘nations-of-intent’ in contemporary Malaysia demonstrates the fact that dissenting voices are present and heard, within and without government. To some degree, it is necessary, for the underlying reason that the identification and sense of belonging of individuals and communities themselves are fragmented, not necessarily conducive to the knowledge of national unity. Hence, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is a need to clarify and explore the meaning of citizenship in diverse and democratic Malaysian as a nation-state, the multiple views of citizenship and the dimensions of citizenship education.

“Die While I Can Still Remember Who I Am”: Postcolonial Nostalgia and Trauma in Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists

In his novel The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng, a contemporary novelist from Malaysia, meditates on the nature of remembering and forgetting, of selective preservation of the past and willful amnesia that constitutes the work of nostalgia and memory. Individual recollections are intertwined with the historical references to give a glimpse of trauma and nostalgia which undercut the discourses of collective history and nation-building in Malaysia. This paper unpacks the silences and erasures that create this overlap of trauma and nostalgia in The Garden of Evening Mists. Traumatizing memories of the colonial past, willfully forgotten and repressed, permeate the nostalgic narratives of the present. Through the metaphor of the garden which is central to the novel, Tan creates a space for interconnected memories, some explicit and some hidden in the landscape. Through these multidirectional memories where each act of remembrance evokes other memories of loss and suffering, the narrative reflects on the parallel tasks of remembering and forgetting in shaping the present and its accounts of the past. The novel touches on the forms of historical nostalgia where forgetting plays as important a role as remembering. In Tan’s novel, the postcolonial condition entails a form of survival where nostalgia for the past is forever linked to its trauma.

Managing Ethnicity and Constructing the Bangsa Malaysia (A United Malaysian Nation)*

The question of nation-building has always been a central issue in Malaysian politics. Whilst the coun try has been able to sustain stable politics since the 1969 racial tragedy, spawning two decades rapid socio-economic development until the 1997 Asian economic crisis, the project of nation-building remained a basic national agenda yet to be filly resolved. This short paper investigates the delicate process of nation-building in Malaysia in the post 1970s. especially in the context of the vision of constructing the Bangsa Malaysia or united Malaysian nation enshrined in Mahathir's Vision 2020 project which was introduced in 1991. The aim of the paper is firstly to highlight the underlying socio-political parameters that shaped and influenced the politics of nation-building in the country, and secondly to explore the viability of the project of Bangsa Malaysia in the context of the daunting challenges involved in the process of nation- building The paper contends that, based on the Malaysian experience, the potent interplay between the forces of ethnicity and nationalism constitute the crux of the problem in the politics of nation-building in Malaysia. This dialectic it is argued, stems from the prevalence of the varying 'nationalisms' within and across ethnic groups. These phenomena have not only shaped the pattern of ethnic political mobilization in the country, but above all, laid the most complex set of obstacles in the path of the project of nation-building. The paper argues that the project of constructing the Bangsa Malaysia therefore, can be seen as significant attempt by the state to reconcile the competing 'nationalism'. It can also be considered as an attempt to consolidate Malay nationalism and cultural pluralism, thus promoting the development of 'civic nationalism 'or creation of 'a supra-ethnic ' national identity. The 'nation', therefore, is depicted as a 'mosaic of cultures but with a strong fervour of Malay nationalism. However, the viability of the envisaged project is yet to be tested. The concept itself is still vague to many people and the challenges ahead are enormous, involving political, economic, socio-cultural and religious issues. Indeed the project risks becoming the 'latest ' in the series of competing notions of 'nation-of- intent' circulating in Malaysia. The paper contends that whilst, to some extent, the socio-political landscape of Malaysian society has been rapidly changing, especially in the past two decades of Mahathir’s reign, ethnicity still pervades Malaysian political life. The paper probably differs from many previous studies on nation-building in Malaysia, thus, deepening the understanding of Malaysia politics and society.

Kelantan Peranakan Chinese Language and Marker of Group Identity

Although the status of the national language of Malaysia has been consolidated in the Constitution, the Malay language remains commonly associated with a specific segment of Malaysian society, i.e., the Malays. The language is often seen as a distinct marker for Malayness whereas the non-Malay ethnic groups, particularly in Peninsular Malaysia, are not widely associated with the language. The Chinese as the largest minority ethnic group in the Peninsular, are often stereotypically depicted as relatively less fluent or knowledgeable in Malay language, at times not beyond the colloquial ‘bahasa pasar’ . Such a scenario suggests that language-wise, Malaysian society remains divided along ethnic lines. This paper seeks to highlight Malay language use among Peranakan Chinese youth in Kelantan. While their higher level of Malay language proficiency vis-a-vis mainstream Chinese is readily acknowledged, findings from content analyses of qualitative data collected in a focus group discussion also suggest that such proficiency in Malay language is achieved due to it being pivotal to the continuity of their identity as both Kelantan Peranakan Chinese and Kelantanese. In short, the Kelantan Peranakan Chinese community is a good example that proficiency in Malay language as national language can exist in tandem with the group’s mother tongue language, and thus should be celebrated and supported towards building a common identity as part of nation-building in Malaysia.

Financial citizenship and nation-building in Malaysia: elites' and citizens' perspectives

AbstractThis article presents a postcolonial analysis of financial citizenship (FC) programmes in Malaysia. Drawing on secondary data and on interviews with elites and citizen investors, the paper explores the spatial and historically specific nature of financialisation in a postcolonial context. Specifically, the paper draws out the significance of FC as part of broader nation building objectives in Malaysia from an elite perspective, while also observing the reluctance of citizen investors who are engaging with the equity market to support the formal objectives of the policy. In doing so, it provides an example of the financialisation of everyday life in a distinctive and complex emerging economy context. Moreover, the paper explores these processes from both elite and citizen perspectives, allowing these layered relations within FC to be analysed. The article, therefore, contributes to the financialisation literature by bringing new understandings of elite–citizen relations in postcolonial nation-building strategies.

An Investigation of the Use of Language, Social Identity and Multicultural Values for Nation-Building in Malaysian Outdoor Advertising

The mass media in the form of advertising is extensively employed in the process of nation-building in Malaysia. Advertising has been used as an important tool for educating the public about State issues, ensuring diverse cultures are equally represented and the multicultural values are emphasized to the fullest. The objective of the present study is to investigate how outdoor advertising, particularly billboards, promotes the language, social identity, and multicultural values of Malaysian society for nation-building. In Malaysia, the extensive use of advertisements has been argued as one of the most powerful mechanisms to enhance Malaysian identity, foster interactions and thus contribute to the process of nation-building even though it is portrayed in a banal and routine way. To achieve its objective, this paper utilizes semiotic methodology to examine 11 billboards to understand the relationships between texts and visuals that communicate messages to the public. The findings revealed that the billboards do not only communicate pro-social messages, but also reflect the language, social identity and multicultural values of Malaysian society towards nation-building. This study expands the work of outdoor advertising within the Malaysian society and contributes to Semiotic Analysis by examining textual-visual elements of billboards.

The Television Advertising Framework in Malaysia and The Salience of Ideals for Malay Muslims and Malaysians: A Framing Perspective for Nation Building

Malaysia has the ambition to be a developed country by 2020. The goal of creating a cohesive, united, and ethical community is accentuated in the country’s Eleventh Malaysia Plan that is part of the nation’s endeavour in becoming a developed nation. There are several guidelines and codes issued by government organisations that regulate or encourage the self-regulation of television advertisements in Malaysia. This study uses framing theory that, according to the literature, refers to the attributes selected on a particular issue that form a narrative making them more salient than others. Framing theory is often used in studies on news stories. This study took on a different stance as it examined the television advertising regulatory framework in Malaysia instead of news stories. There is a research gap with the dearth of previous studies on regulations, culture, religion and framing. The study was with the aim of identifying frames that represent Malaysian and Malay Muslim values. It is a significant study as it contributes to current literature, uncovers how the government guides television advertising for the diverse Malaysian audience and provides a better understanding of the framework in relation to nation building in Malaysia. Five frames were generated from the framework examined and evidence was gathered from the Qur’an and Sunnah. The study finds that the frames generated represent the balance between the moral and material dimensions of life underscoring the concept of wasatiyyah that defines the moderate lifestyle in Islam. Keywords: Framing, nation building, television advertisements, television advertising framework, wasatiyyah.

The Concept of Muhibah in Nation-Building in Malaysia: the Challenges and Prospects

This article deliberated on the concept of muhibah and its application as a means to foster harmony in the Malaysian pluralistic society comprising mainly the Malays, Chinese and Indians. Given the multiracial, multicultural and multireligous background, the study acknowledges the need to protect one’s heritage and cultural traits which are necessarily connected to the question of right and freedom as the Malaysian citizen. The questions at hands, how is it possible to inculcate muhibah in the face of multiple claims to right and freedom. The article will therefore focus on the two issues pertain to right which are the right to freedom of religion and the right to language. The analysis is qualitative in nature and it relied upon library research for data collection. The article adopts textual analysis method for data analysis. The findings show that despite its historical relevance and practicality, implementing muhibah has been very challenging in Malaysia. This is due the pressing demand from particular ethnic and religion, to preserving their cultural trait. It is therefore concluded that the success of muhibah is a reciprocal process. It can be achievable if every ethnic group in Malaysia have trust and respect for the national policy such as muhibah and therefore willing to work together in realizing the policy.

A Study of Nation Building in Malaysia

Nation building is a major issue in the political agenda of many countries, a project made more arduous in countries fragmented along racial, linguistic, and religious lines. In an attempt to gain some understanding of the issue, this paper examines the trajectory of nation building in Malaysia. Basically, the Malaysia government uses the model of nation-state to create a sense of collective national identity in a multi-ethnic society. It is a top-down approach with the state playing a dominating role. The main political parties are communal parties, based on race or religion. Well-crafted programs of nation building have been not properly implemented. While the government has achieved impressive economic development, it is at the same time becoming more authoritarian and the country faces a range of disturbing social and political problems. Thanks to a growing educated middle class, urbanization, demographic change, globalization, and the spread of the Internet, mass-based civil movements and a multi-ethnic coalition of opposition parties have emerged with the potential of redressing the situation. The study suggests a framework for understanding the trajectory and dynamics of the nation-building project in Malaysia. The framework gives a list of historical forces that are likely to shape the course of nation building in the coming years.

マレーシア連邦における国家統一 サバ、サラワクを中心として

マレーシア連邦における国家統一 サバ、サラワクを中心として

Affirmative Action and Nation Building in Malaysia: The Future of Malay Preferential Policies

Abstract This paper examines how the affirmative action programme based on Malay preferential policies has influenced the formation of ambiguous socio-cultural policies (incorporating Malay cultural dominance and the recognition of non-Malay cultural rights) that hinder the development of national integration. This study is conducted by analysing the relationship between Malay preferential policies and the principles of assimilation and multiculturalism. Because Malay preferential policies are logically incompatible with the principles of assimilation and multiculturalism, these policies influence the shaping of ambiguous socio-cultural policies. In addition, the direction of Malay preferential policies is examined by considering ethnic tensions regarding these policies and the government’s efforts after the 2008 election. The government is confronting a dilemma and has not yet determined its direction. Malay preferential policies will not be abolished in the near future, and the nature of socio-cultural policies will remain ambiguous. Thus, a dramatic development of national integration cannot be expected in the foreseeable future.

Re-building the Concept of Nation Building in Malaysia

Generally, Malaysia is being described as one of the prime example among those societies that are severely divided along ethnic lines. The country is also among the few pluralistic societies that have achieved some measure of success in managing ethnic conflict and enjoying relative political stability. The complexities of the Malaysian case stem are from the make-up of its ethnic population: Malay (58 percent), Chinese (24 percent), Indians (8 percent), and others (10 percent). Efforts to integrate these diverse groups in the interests of national unity have been, and remain, at the heart of the Malaysian endeavour of nation-building. Her national independence and its Constitution were grounded upon the political bargaining process among ethnic groups which ensued social contract had made them possible. During Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad years, the political sensitivity towards the non-Malays was reduced remarkably. Among the important changes were, liberalization of language, education policies and the most important is the promotion of nation building such as Bangsa Malaysia (united Malaysian nation). When the present Prime Minister, Najib Razak took over the office, he introduced One Malaysia slogan to develop one nation. One Malaysia seeks to improve the relationship of all Malaysians, regardless of racial, religious and cultural background. This paper aims to examine whether the One Malaysia is a new concept or just a re-branding of existing concepts. Therefore, the principles of One Malaysia will be examined to see the efforts toward nation building.

The Politics of Accommodation and the Problem of National-Building in a Plural Society: The Case of Malaysia

The issue of pluralism in Malaysia has attracted keen interest among scholars and commentators from this country as well as from outside the region. It is an issue that has pre-occupied the Malaysian government since Malaysia’s independence from British colonial rule in 1957. Since then the Malaysian state has been concerned with containing and managing the ‘vulnerabilities’ that can cause conflicts among diverse ethnic and religious groups in the country. The method used to manage ethnic relations has been termed the ‘politics of accommodation’ which is essentially based on the principles of bargaining, cooperation and accommodation among different ethnic groups. It is argued that while it has contributed to the peaceful - albeit precarious - coexistence between them, it also has had an impact of delaying the nation-building process in Malaysia. The pre-occupation of the state with ‘national unity’ and ‘national integration’ and the constant reminders to the public on the importance of ‘unity’ are proof that the ‘politics of accommodation’ as a tool for keeping the country and its diverse segments together are faced with serious challenges. This article attempts to look at the functioning of the ‘politics of accommodation’ as strategy for managing politics and society in a multiethnic society and its impact on nation-building in Malaysia.

Violent civic nationalism versus civil ethnic nationalism: Contrasting Indonesia and Malay(si)a

In 1963 the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah formed the Federation of Malaysia. In the same year Indonesia gained control over West Papua. In the first case the integration was accomplished participatory and peacefully, in the second violence reigned supreme. I argue that different visions of community, nation and state, developed during the decades of decolonisation and the early years of state- and nation-building, are responsible for the different outcomes. Contrary to the expectations of the predominant theories on nationalism the ethno-cultural variant of nation-building in Malaysia proved to be much more integrative than the civic variant espoused by the Indonesian nation-builders.

English Language Policy Changes in Malaysia: Demystifying the Diverse Demands of Nationalism and Modernisation

This article examines the educational linguistic changes in the different phases of nation-building in Malaysia, ranging from the linguistic nationalism phase which is the post-independence phase, 1957–1969, to the age of Internationalisation and the knowledge economy, 1990 — 21st century. In the latest phase, one of the boldest moves in policy change has just occurred in 2003 with a drastic change in language policy. Malaysia has re-adopted the English language as the medium of instruction for science and mathematics after thirty years of using Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction. Language educators play a pivotal role in the implementation of this far-reaching policy decision and therefore the thrust of this article is to demystify the various changes in language policy over the years to enable them to understand and to explicate the macro-perspectives affecting this latest historic change in language policy.

Mediated management of meaning: on‐line nation building in Malaysia

Abstract In Malaysia, the Internet figures prominently in the imagery of modernity. Associated with a high‐tech future where the country is positioned in the midst of regional and global flows, the Internet represents the way forward. The Malaysian middle classes are at the forefront of this process of social transformation, their wired lifestyles serving as a model for society. Having readily adapted the Internet, the middle classes have been acculturated in the global culture of networking that it denotes. Their exposure to the world at large has heightened their sense of national identity. Meanwhile, their experience in decentralized interaction has provided them with the means to participate in the construction and reconstruction of national imageries. A medium for on‐line nation building, the Internet has evolved into a machinery of meaning that allows Malaysians to participate in the cultural management of their nation.