Malaysia Harmony

Hindu Sri Subramaniam Temple nestled in the limestone hills of the Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Growing up as a British Indian in Gloucestershire, in England’s southwest, I was used to a world in which almost every face was white. At my school, one of the only exceptions was Louise, a half-Malaysian, half-British girl who became and remains one of my closest friends.

Visiting her family in Malaysia opened my eyes to what a society looks like when races readily mix. I remember arriving in Kuala Lumpur and being taken the same day by Louise’s family to their ex-British country club, and watching in amazement at how the Malays, Indians, and Chinese interacted with each other. It was a new world, one confirmed when I visited some family of my own at a wedding in Penang; the bride was surrounded by friends who represented a complete fusion of Malaysia’s three main ethnic groups. The Malay and Chinese understood how to join in with the customs of an Indian wedding, as if they were their own. The different cultures felt in balance, comfortable with one another, none dominating.

Such harmony is the cornerstone of culture in Malaysia, where coexistence between the Malay population, and the large Chinese and Indian communities—introduced by British colonial rulers—has long been a political and social priority. This has been the case since the race riots of 1969 between the Malay and Chinese, which remain in the forefront of the national memory, having occurred little more than a decade after Malaysia became independent.

It is important to understand the nature of Malaysian harmony between races, which is distinctive and not focused on the wholesale integration of the races that is often prioritized in the West. There is positive discrimination in favor of Malays, affording them protected access to everything from affordable housing to government jobs, share ownership, and university scholarships. This has succeeded to some extent in narrowing the stark economic gap that existed between Malays and the minority Chinese community in particular (though there has also been criticism for its role in concentrating wealth in relatively few hands).

Education too runs on ethnic grounds, with separate systems for the Malay, Chinese, and Indian populations. The Malaysian constitution also protects the right to religious freedom, though all ethnic Malays must be Muslim. In politics, until the landmark election of 2018, government had been dominated for decades by the United Malays National Organisation, a party that frequently made political capital out of protecting the needs and interest of Malays, and scaremongering over the threat posed by the prosperous Chinese population.

On the surface, this combination of policy and politics might appear to be a recipe for entrenching divisions: prioritizing the native population and declining to integrate different groups from a young age in a way that can forge collective identity. But in Malaysia, it is the very preservation of unique identity that provides the basis for harmonious relations between the different ethnic groups. Malaysia allows its predominant groups to retain their language, customs, and religious freedoms. It understands that you can best help people to come together by enabling them to—in some ways—remain different and keep hold of the traditions that are their own. There is not equality between the different populations, but there is a tacit understanding that each group has its own place of advantage: the Chinese are the most entrepreneurial and prosperous; Indians dominate in the professions; while Malays often hold government jobs.

Politics in Malaysia remains racially charged, but people are focused on their everyday lives and being friendly with those around them. The principle of muhibbah, living in harmony, is fundamental in interpersonal and community relations. According to the University of Malaysia’s Dr. Kamar Oniah Kamarul Zaman, this “is a spirit of togetherness, a culture of sincere and appreciative coexistence with sensitivity toward fellow citizens and fellow beings.” The bonds of muhibbah are reinforced by long hours spent together in “Mama’s place” eateries: twenty-four-hour restaurants that span the three cultures. In food, music, culture, and friendship, Malaysians of all ethnicities enjoy harmonious relationships and shared experiences. In a poll conducted as part of the government’s 2050 transformation plan, almost three quarters of Malaysians opposed the suggestion that “your neighbors should be the same race as you.”

Division is everywhere in our societies—whether ethnic, religious, political, or otherwise—which means the search for harmony has become one of the defining needs of our age. Malaysia offers a model that is not perfect, but that shows the importance of what happens on the ground between people, and underlines the necessity of understanding and celebrating differences if harmonious relations are to be achieved.