Notes / Pluralism in Malaysia

Compiled by Mindy McAdams

A few points from one of the books I've found.

Hefner, Robert W., Ed. (2001). The Politics of Multiculturalism: Pluralism and Citizenship in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. [319 pp.]

A changing society

Abdul Rahman, Embong (2001). The culture and practice of pluralism in postcolonial Malaysia. In Hefner, pp. 59-85.

"The questions facing academic and policy consideration in Malaysia today are, Can pluralism serve as social resources for civility and participation in Malaysia in the twenty-first century? How might pluralism be transformed into a positive social capital?" (p. 60).

Economic growth, education and the new middle class (including managers and professionals in both public and private sectors) have contributed to increased interaction among people with different ethnic backgrounds -- not only at work but also in their communities, especially in the suburbs of urban centers.

"... a new, 'developmentalist' ideology has taken hold among these classes. ... I would emphasize that this ideology has one important unintended consequence: it deemphasizes ethnicity while highlighting development and growth" (p. 62).

Covering Anwar

Shamsul, A. B. (2001). The redefinition of politics and the transformation of Malaysian pluralism. In Hefner, pp. 204-226.

"... the reflowering of pluralism in Malaysia, unleashed by the consequence of the 'economic crisis,' has not been identified, explained and comprehended. This essay is a modest contribution toward that end" (p. 224).

Shamsul positions the conflict between former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy (and finance minister) Anwar Ibrahim in the context of earlier domestic political power struggles. He points out a problem in any discussion of Malaysian politics that assumes a uniform "politics" in the nation: "Malaysian society is not a uniform entity, but one that has many different forms that coexist, generating divergent developments along a variety of social trajectories" (p. 223).

"Reformasi is the slogan that unites the fragments in the new politics movement. This movement is local in initiatives and ideas but global in its support and intellectual sources. Similar politics have arisen in the developed countries that have enjoyed economic success and social benefits" (p. 222).