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Malaysia: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Malaysia
The Strait of Malacca carries 40 percent of the world's trade, yet for centuries, the land it borders was a fragmented collection of warring kingdoms and sultanates. Before the modern nation of Malaysia existed, the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo were distinct worlds, separated by the South China Sea and bound only by the tides of monsoon winds and the ambitions of distant empires. Evidence of human habitation in this region dates back 40,000 years, with the first inhabitants being the Negritos, whose descendants still live in the deep rainforests today. By the first century AD, traders from India and China had established coastal towns, bringing with them the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism that would shape the spiritual landscape for centuries. The Kingdom of Langkasuka arose in the second century, followed by the maritime Srivijayan empire between the seventh and thirteenth centuries, which controlled much of the southern peninsula. By the thirteenth century, the Majapahit empire had wrested control from Srivijaya, setting the stage for the rise of the Malacca Sultanate in the early fifteenth century. Parameswara, a runaway king of the former Kingdom of Singapura, founded Malacca, which became the commercial heart of the region and the catalyst for the spread of Islam throughout the Malay Archipelago. The name Malaysia itself is a relatively modern construct, derived from the Sanskrit Malayadvipa and the Latin suffix -ia, meaning land of the Malays, a term that only became an ethnonym as Malacca grew into a regional power in the fifteenth century.
The Colonial Web
In 1511, the Portuguese conquered Malacca, ending the golden age of the sultanate, but their rule was short-lived, as the Dutch took control of the town in 1641. The true transformation of the region began in 1786 when the British Empire established a presence in Malaya, with the Sultan of Kedah leasing Penang Island to the British East India Company. By 1826, the British directly controlled Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and the island of Labuan, establishing the crown colony of the Straits Settlements. The British obtained Singapore in 1819 and took control of Malacca following the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Under British rule, the immigration of Chinese and Indians was encouraged to serve as laborers, fundamentally altering the demographic makeup of the region. The area that is now Sabah came under British control as North Borneo when both the Sultan of Brunei and the Sultan of Sulu transferred their territorial rights between 1877 and 1878. In 1842, Sarawak was ceded by the Sultan of Brunei to James Brooke, whose successors ruled as the White Rajahs over an independent kingdom until 1946. The Klang War, which lasted from 1867 to 1874, began as a dispute between Raja Abdullah and Raja Mahadi over the Klang chieftaincy, drawing in rival Chinese secret societies and destabilizing tin production. The conflict, combined with the neighboring Larut Wars in Perak, alarmed British merchants and paved the way for formal intervention, culminating in the Pangkor Treaty of 1874, which established the system of British Residents in the Malay states. As Frank Swettenham later wrote, the British came to the Malay States at the invitation of the Rulers to teach them a better form of government, though the reality was a tightening grip on sovereignty.
When did Malaysia gain independence from British rule?
Malaya became an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations on the 31st of August 1957. The modern federation of Malaysia was subsequently formed on the 16th of September 1963 after uniting Malaya with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore.
Who founded the Malacca Sultanate and when did it rise to power?
Parameswara, a runaway king of the former Kingdom of Singapura, founded the Malacca Sultanate in the early fifteenth century. This sultanate became the commercial heart of the region and the catalyst for the spread of Islam throughout the Malay Archipelago.
What is the current political system of Malaysia and who holds the title of head of state?
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy with a system of government closely modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system. The head of state is the King, whose official title is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, elected to a five-year term by and from among the nine hereditary rulers of the Malay states.
When did the 1MDB corruption scandal involving Najib Razak occur and what was its political impact?
The 1MDB scandal, a major global corruption scandal that implicated then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, occurred in 2015. This scandal contributed to the first change in the ruling political party since independence in the 2018 general election.
What percentage of the Malaysian population practices Islam and when was the National Cultural Policy created?
Approximately 63.5 percent of the population practices Islam, which is established as the religion of the Federation by the constitution. The government created a National Cultural Policy in 1971, defining Malaysian culture as based on the culture of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia.
During the Second World War, the Japanese Army invaded and occupied Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore for over three years, raising ethnic tensions and fueling nationalism. Popular support for independence grew after Malaya was reconquered by Allied forces, but post-war British plans to unite the administration under a single crown colony called the Malayan Union met with strong opposition from the Malays, who feared the weakening of their rulers and the granting of citizenship to the ethnic Chinese. The Malayan Union, established in 1946, was quickly dissolved and replaced on the 1st of February 1948 by the Federation of Malaya, which restored the autonomy of the rulers of the Malay states under British protection. During this time, the mostly ethnically Chinese rebels under the leadership of the Malayan Communist Party launched guerrilla operations designed to force the British out of Malaya, leading to the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960. On the 31st of August 1957, Malaya became an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Subsequently, a comprehensive plan was devised to unite Malaya with the crown colonies of North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore. The envisioned federation was originally intended to take place on the 31st of August 1963, but due to the necessity of conducting a survey on the level of support for the federation in Sabah and Sarawak by the United Nations, the date was postponed until the 16th of September 1963. The federation brought heightened tensions, including a conflict with Indonesia and continual conflicts against the Communists in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, which escalated to the Sarawak Communist Insurgency and Second Malayan Emergency. Singapore was separated from the Federation in 1965, and racial strife culminated in the 13th of May race riots in 1969, leading to the controversial New Economic Policy launched by Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak.
The Economy of Growth
Under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a period of rapid economic growth and urbanization began in the 1980s, shifting the economy from being agriculturally based to one based on manufacturing and industry. Numerous mega-projects were completed, such as the Petronas Towers, the North, South Expressway, the Multimedia Super Corridor, and the new federal administrative capital of Putrajaya. The country's economy was traditionally reliant on agriculture and primary commodities but is now driven by the services and manufacturing sectors. Malaysia remains one of the world's largest producers of palm oil and was once the largest producer of tin and rubber. In 2017, the large service sector contributed to 53.6 percent of total GDP, the industrial sector 37.6 percent, and the small agricultural sector roughly 8.8 percent. The country has developed into a center of Islamic banking and has the highest number of female workers in that industry. In 2020, Malaysia exported high-tech products worth 92.1 billion dollars, the second-highest in ASEAN after Singapore. However, economic inequalities exist between different ethnic groups, with the Chinese making up about one-quarter of the population but accounting for 70 percent of the country's market capitalization. The Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s impacted the country, nearly causing their currency, stock, and property markets to crash, but they later recovered. The 1MDB scandal, a major global corruption scandal that implicated then-Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2015, contributed to the first change in the ruling political party since independence in the 2018 general election.
The Politics of Division
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy and the only federal country in Southeast Asia, with a system of government closely modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system. The head of state is the King, whose official title is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, elected to a five-year term by and from among the nine hereditary rulers of the Malay states. The King's role has been largely ceremonial since changes to the constitution in 1994, picking ministers and members of the upper house. Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures, with the bicameral federal parliament consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Race is a significant force in politics, with affirmative actions such as the New Economic Policy and the National Development Policy implemented to advance the standing of the bumiputera, consisting of Malays and the indigenous tribes who are considered the original inhabitants of Malaysia, over non-bumiputera such as Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indians. These policies provide preferential treatment to bumiputera in employment, education, scholarships, business, and access to cheaper housing and assisted savings, but have generated greater interethnic resentment. After UMNO lost power at the 2018 Malaysian general election, Malaysia's ranking increased by 9 places in the 2019 Democracy Index to 43rd, compared to the previous year, and the country is classified as a flawed democracy. In the 2020s, the country was gripped by a political crisis that coincided with health and economic crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an earlier general election in November 2022, which resulted in the first hung parliament in the nation's history. On the 24th of November 2022, Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, leading a grand coalition government.
The Biodiversity Hotspot
The constitution grants freedom of religion, while establishing Islam as the religion of the Federation, with approximately 63.5 percent of the population practicing Islam. The states of Sarawak and Penang, as well as the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, have non-Muslim majorities. Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence is the dominant branch of Islam in Malaysia, while 18 percent are nondenominational Muslims. The Malaysian constitution strictly defines what makes a Malay, defining Malays as those who are Muslim, speak Malay regularly, practice Malay customs, and lived in or have ancestors from Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Malaysia has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society, with substantial influence from Chinese and Indian cultures, dating back to when foreign trade began. Other cultural influences include the Persian, Arabic, and British cultures. In 1971, the government created a National Cultural Policy, defining Malaysian culture as based on the culture of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia, incorporating suitable elements from other cultures, and ensuring Islam plays a part. This government intervention into culture has caused resentment among non-Malays who feel their cultural freedom was lessened. Malaysia's cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population, with influences from Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese, and Sumatran cultures. The country has two official national holidays: Hari Merdeka on the 31st of August, commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, and Malaysia Day on the 16th of September, commemorating the Malaysia Federation in 1963. Despite most festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, celebrations are universal, and
The Multi-Ethnic Tapestry
in a custom known as open house, Malaysians participate in the celebrations of others, often visiting the houses of those who identify with the festival.