Elements of Malay Culture Observed in Malaysia - Essay Example

? The slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia” stands absolutely correct for this Malay dominated nation. With its highly varied ethni and religious structure, it has created a unique identity of its own, attracting tourists from different corners of the world. 51% of the Malaysian population is Malay, all of whom are Muslims; 26% are Chinese and 7% Indians. The rest 16% of the population consists of other religions belonging to different indigenous groups. Though more than half of the population is Muslim, Malaysia is not an Islamic state. It has been termed as “Malay dominated plural society” where all the religions have the freedom to practice their respective ethnicity (as cited in Yeoh, 1993). In this paper, we shall discuss various aspects of the Malaysian culture which will enlighten us about this country’s social, economic, religious and political scenario. Elements of Malay culture observed in Malaysia In Malaysia, cultures have been meeting and integrating since the very beginning of its history. Despite being Muslim dominated, the people in Malaysia believe in respecting all the different religions and cultures. The Malay culture covers more than half of the population and though they have been rapidly moving towards modernization, the traditional customs and rituals still play a big role in their life. The key events of birth, engagement, marriage and death are carried on in the traditional manner. Every Malay follows Adat, an act which requires a person to conduct oneself according to the prescribed rituals rather as per his own whims and desires and he/she should regularly scrutinize his/her own acts to ensure that it is concurrent to the society. Most importantly, family still holds the utmost position in a person’s life as was in the traditional Malay culture. In a Malay household, children or younger persons are strictly obligated by tradition to bestow utmost respect, undoubted loyalty and unmitigated obedience towards their parents (“Malay Traditions”, n.d). Family forms the centre of the social structure which not only provides emotional but financial support as well. In other words, if any one member suffers a financial setback, others will contribute to help him overcome the situation. Furthermore, the dressing of Malays is not very conservative but to a great extent dictated by the Islamic dress code. For example, it is mandatory for Muslim women to wear a Tudung, a piece of cloth which covers their head, ears and chest. Thus, we can see that despite living in a multiethnic society, the Malays have maintained their culture and traditions (“Malaysia: Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, ” n.d). Extent of Influence of Westernization and Modernization on Traditional Malay Culture The economic and infrastructural development of Malaysia has greatly brought modernization as well as westernization in the Malay culture. Even members of native families speak English language and pursue the contemporary culture of going to pubs and partying. Malaysian art, music as well as dancing have been influenced by the western culture (Lad, n.d). Despite of existence of different opportunities for men and women based on ethnic values and social class, stringent gender separation has never been a part of the Malaysian society. Though cooking and cleaning are deemed to be female tasks, in affluent families where both men and women work outside their homes there has been an increase in the trend of hiring domestic servants. Modernization has influenced urban Malays where matters of physical contact between the opposite genders are concerned. Moreover, Malay women are allowed to wear western clothes like jeans and trousers, though revealing clothes are prohibited (Williamson, n.d). Moreover, development of new technologies and availability of modern day equipments has drastically altered the lifestyle, consumption habits and cuisine of the Malay people. For example, in traditional Malay weddings, guests were offered food in the table served style. However, today it has given way to the buffet style of serving food where guests need to help themselves. Moreover, earlier the entire kampong or neighborhood would be fully involved in a wedding which enhanced community togetherness but today the responsibility has been passed on to the hired caterers for the occasion (Mohd. Zahari, Kamaruddin, Muhhamad &Kutut, 2011). Cultural Sensitivities of the Country The multicultural and multiracial population of Malaysia has made it one of the most visited tourist spots in the world. Though this country has an open minded society, it is helpful for visitors to have knowledge of some local customs and courtesies. For example, it is mandatory to open shoes before entering a mosque or a Hindu temple. Moreover, it is also customary to open one’s shoes before entering a Malaysian home. Generally, both the sexes introduce themselves to a gentleman with a handshake though some Muslim ladies might greet with a nod of head and a smile. The Malaysians greet visitors in the traditional style of saying “salaam” which resembles a handshake with both hands minus the clutch. In other words, the man will extend both his hands, gently touch the visitor’s hands, and then bring back his right hand to his chest expressing that “I greet you from my heart”. It is expected from the visitor to reciprocate the salaam. In addition, if the Malaysian is a woman the visitor should wait for her to extend hands for shaking. One should remember that acknowledging by hugging or kissing is prohibited in this country though the western educated youngsters are constantly defying this rule. One of the most vital points that needs to be remembered is that all tasks should be performed with the right hand like greeting, receiving gifts, giving money, pointing directions or passing objects since right hand is considered the dominant hand in Malay culture; the left being used for cleaning the body. However, the most remarkable thing about Malaysians’ is that they easily tolerate the mistakes of outsiders because of their openness to society (“Malaysia’s Culture, Language and Geography”, n.d). Role of Religion in Malaysia Malaysia boasts of a good mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian communities’ residing on its land without any stress and disagreement. Though the country is Muslim dominated it is not an Islamic state and people here strongly believe in respecting each other’s culture and religion. However, the political arena is dominated by the Malays as part of the political bargain between them and the Chinese and Indians. Here, religion is predominantly associated with ethnicity; all Malays being Muslims, most Hindus Indians and most Chinese Buddhists. Religious festivals of Deepavali, Christmas, and Ramadan are declared holidays and are celebrated with open houses where people from all cultures can join in the revelry which helps in blending the interreligious experience of the population (Kousalia, 2006). However, it is also true that Malays enjoy special sanctions, priorities and privileges from the government over other religions (Yeoh, 2003). Importance of Islam in Malaysia As we know, Malays form 51% of the Malaysian population and are all Muslims and therefore, Islam forms the keystone in Malay ethnicity and culture. It is deemed that a Malay is born into a culture and religion concurrently, and therefore, one who discards Islam is no longer considered Malay. According to Islam, a Malay is one who is Muslim, customarily speaks the Malay language and follows Malay customs or Adat. Though Islam prohibits marrying outside their castes, in Malaysia outsiders who convert to Islam and follow Malay culture are considered prospective Malay marriage partners. However, on refusal of such conversion the Muslim Malaysian faces the risk of being deprived of government sanctions. The Islamic custom of segregation of sexes is followed to a great extent and the dressing of Malays is dominated by the Islamic dressing code. The strategic positioning of the National mosque in the centre of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia itself signifies the country’s Islamic distinctiveness. All Malays duly follow the custom of attending the Friday prayers and the daily call from the mosques for prayers further strengthens the importance of Islam in this country. The media gives constant reminders of the prayer times during television programs and the important holidays of the birth of Prophet and the pilgrimage to Mecca hold a prominent place in the media which further highlights the centrality of Islam in Malaysia. Moreover, in the month of Ramadan, people not only refrain from eating but also perform acts of goodness which is followed by a huge celebration (Williamson, n.d). Positive and Negative Impact of Religion Socially, Politically and Economically The presence of multiple religions in Malaysia and the liberty to practice individual customs has made this country one of the most cosmopolitan places on earth. Moreover, religious holidays especially those celebrated with open houses where all the castes are invited further bring together the interreligious familiarity of the population. The multi ethnicity of this country helps it uphold international associations with the many societies epitomized here – the Indonesian Archipelago, Islamic world, India, China as well as Europe. The Malaysians have been comfortably able to barter ideas and technologies with the outside world and thereby, made a significant impact on the global affairs. As the commerce of this country is closely associated with its ethnicity, with the governments help the Malays have been able to contend in commercial activities which had been long subjugated by the cultural Chinese. However, this religious diversity presents obstinate problems of social unity and the peril of ethnic violence adds tremendous tension to Malaysian politics. It is known that the political arena is dominated by the Malays because of the historical agreement between the Malays and the other religions. And since the Malay community is dominated by Islamic rules, for better or for worse, this has led Islam to become the centre of many major conflicts in the country. Furthermore, since the last few years Malaysia has been constantly associated with various Islamic terrorist outfits and their unethical activities thus, bringing a bad name to the country (Yeoh, 1993). Impact of the Political System and Ruling Party on Malaysia in Terms of Social, Religious, and Economic factors The reformation of education policies by the government with the aim to develop a more literate society has proved to be a turning stone for the country. Schools were made a social necessity rather than the privilege of the rich and as a result, students from all ethnic backgrounds got the opportunity to intermingle with each other. Moreover the government’s efforts to expand the middle class among the Malays as well as the non Malays have led to the creation of an educated and urbane society which can comfortably associate and commune with those who don’t belong to their ethnic groups. This had led to the development of a new Malaysian society that is enhancing ‘a common social will despite its ethnic barriers’. This has also been the primary reason behind Malaysia becoming one of the most highly visited tourist spots in the world. The Malaysian government’s initiated slogan “Malaysia, Truly Asia” which signifies its ethnic diversity, has been attracting innumerable tourists to this country every year. All these efforts compounded with the astounding economic development of Malaysia especially under the rule of Mahathir, who transformed it from an agricultural country to an industrialized country, has made this place one of the richest Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, the intertwining of politics with religion has been a matter of major concern for Malaysia. Recently, tensions have been brewing up between the Malays and the non Malays. As it is known that politics has been long dominated by the Malays because of the political bargain made between the Malays and the non Malays in which the Malays retained their political hold, their symbols, their language and religion in exchange for the fundamental rights of the Chinese and the Indians in the country. Moreover, special rights were sanctioned to the Malays in three specific areas – public services, education and business licenses though without harming the rights of other ethnic groups. However, recently Malaysia has been facing global threat from the Islamic fundamentalist movements because of its openness to all the religions in the world. This has disrupted peace and propagated stress between Malays and non Malays further leading to terrorist developments and unethical activities within the country (Yeoh, 1993). Malaysians Views of the Present Political Scenario The people of Malaysia have lost confidence and trust in their current deceitful, tainted and tarnished leaders. They are fed up with the present political quo and desire to change the government. The country had enjoyed a positive socio economic and peaceful multicultural society till 2003 under the reigns of Mahathir but as soon as the power passed into the hands of Abdullah Badhawi, the whole political scenario changed dramatically. Moreover, the Islamic fundamentalist movement is posing a big threat to Malaysia and the country has been directly linked to the September 11, 2001 episode and other fundamentalist movements like Al-Qaeda (Yeoh, 1993). Today, money politics along with fraud allegations and superfluous high profile cases has become a routine in this country. In addition, cronyism, discrimination and manipulation of power have worsened the already sick political situation. Slight tensions have developed between the Malays and the non Malays because of extreme racial schism. Malaysians are looking for political leaders who can build a strong regime and bring back the peace lost due to recent developments (Husni, 2009). The Standard of Living and Cost of Living in Malaysia The standard of living in Malaysia is quite high in general, and living in Kuala Lumpur is like dwelling in any other big city in the world. Malaysia boasts off a good health system, good hospitals, good international schools, excellent highways and modern communication systems. It has a well developed infrastructure with satellite TVs and mobile phones, a common site everywhere (Meyer, n.d). Even though it is a newly industrialized country, the cost of living is exceptionally low. The government has imposed minimum taxation on the populace and barred them from inheritance taxes and capital gains on assets. Commodities and houses are available at cheap rates because of the country’s currency Ringgits which is continuously struggling to keep up with the other currencies. Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia has become the shopping hub of clothes, electronics and other consumer goods for tourists as well the local populace (Castro, 2009). The prime minister of this country revealed that the per capita income has risen significantly to more than US$ 9000 annually in 2011 from a meager US$ 376 back in 1970. Moreover, the growth rate of GDP per capita has been 5.3%, rising from 4915 US$ in 2009 to 5185 US$ in December 2010 (Alam, 2012). Investments in Key Infrastructure Made in Malaysia The Malaysian government has made considerable efforts and large investments in developing its highways, railroads, seaports, and airports. In addition, the government has made enormous efforts to enhance development of modern modes of communications such as satellite telecommunications and the Internet. Though the roads are very well developed, the growing number of cars on roads has led to congestion and therefore, the government has made multimillion dollars investments in the public transport system including modernization of the railways and the construction of a light rapid-transit system in Kuala Lumpur (“Malaysia – Infrastructure, Power and Communications”, n.d). A Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur containerized service known as the Asean Rail Express (ARX) has been started with the aim to transform it to become the Trans-Asia Rail Link that will include Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar before ending up in Kunming, China. The Malaysian government has made extraordinary expansion and up gradation in the telecommunications during the past decade since the privatization of its Telecommunications Department. The latest digital and fiber optics technology has been implemented to provide high quality telecommunication services at competitive prices. Today, telephone subscribers in Malaysia can make a choice from five network service providers for local, domestic as well as international services encircling voice and data facilities under the Equal Access Regime. In addition, six internet service providers and five telco's and other network facilities services have been provided which support a complete range of domestic and international services. As far housing is concerned, Malaysia is already famous for its PETRONAS towers, the tallest tower in the world and has been constantly making some of the world’s best skyscrapers, technology parks, and tourist spots. By making education compulsory for all children despite of economic differences, and opening up numerous schools and universities, Malaysia has become one of the most highly educated nations of the world (Malaysia Investment Development Board, n.d). References Alam, S. (2012, Feb. 14). Malaysia’s per capita income rises. New Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.nst.com.my/latest/malaysia-s-per-capita-income-rises-1. Castro, J.M. (2009, Aug. 10). Cost of Living in Malaysia. In ExpatForum.Com. 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Religious Pluralism in Malaysia [PDF document]. Malaysian Chinese Association, 9, 1-25. Retrieved from http://pluralism.org/research/reports/Yeoh/Pluralism_Malaysia.doc Read More