The Transformation of Ethnic Relations in Malaysia

Abstract

Ethnic relations in Malaysia have undergone a long history. It all began when the Melaka Malay Government was founded until today. Today, communities of various backgrounds, cultures and religions are the main characteristics of world countries. These pluralistic communities are perceived to have been burdened with all-too-common ethnic competitions and conflicts. In Malaysia, the concept of race is not used in understanding the relationship between people of various cultures. The concept adopted instead is the one characterising upon the culture, language, and religion. The Malay World had successfully constructed a pluralistic society through inter-group bonding that there was a cross-cultural relationship based on the permeable and umbrella ethnicity concepts. However, through the Divide and Rule Policy by the British colonials, it had changed the form of ethnic relations in the Malay World to the point that there was a distributed occupational form according to different ethnic groups. The structure of ethnic relations in Malaysia post-NEP was influenced by a very thin line of ethnic boundaries and their relationships based on non-ethnic considerations. Meanwhile, the analysis of the Post-14th General Election finds that there has a positive and negative scenario and situations created in terms of the ethnic relations in Malaysia. Thus, this article will analyse the transformation of ethnic relations in Malaysia since the Malay Sultanate Era in Melaka, the Era of Colonisation, the Post-New Economic Policy Era and the Post-14th General Election Era.