Towards a More Democratic Regime and Society? The Politics of Faith and Ethnicity in a Transitional Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

Abstract

The rising antagonistic attitudes and tension between the Malay majority and ethnic and religious minorities in Malaysia since 2007 is intriguing because it has occurred when society experienced an unprecedentedly large-scale and assertive multi-ethnic pro-democracy movement. This article argues that precisely these assertive and confident civil and political societies -and their emphasis on equal rights and equitable development for all Malaysians – have put the traditional Malay and religious elites on the defensive. The pro-democracy movement and the prospects of regime change have threatened not only the party-dominant regime but also – and more importantly – the constitutional and institutional foundations of ethnic exclusivism and privileges. Moreover, two Malay-based parties, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), are viewed as giving too many political concessions to the non-Malay communities to gain an electoral advantage, making the traditional Malay and religious elites even more defensive of their position and power. As a result, religious issues are excessively politicised, further deteriorating the already complicated inter-ethnic relations of the country. The prospects for achieving a democratic regime and society appear grim, although hopes have run high since the electoral rise of the multi-ethnic opposition.

Mother tongues and languaging in Malaysia: Critical linguistics under critical examination

“…Amidst this discourse, Bahasa Melayu was renamed Bahasa Malaysia to connote its role as a marker of Malaysian unity. Nonetheless, the Malays retain extra socioeconomic rights, and perhaps because of this history of race relations, essentialised This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Cambridge University Press, Language in Society, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-insociety/article/mother-tongues-and-languaging-in-malaysia-critical-linguistics-under-criticalexamination/63E9315695008B98517AA546BF6C5F54 12 ethnic identities remain the single most defining element of contemporary Malaysian society (Frith 2000;Hamayotsu 2014).…”

“…Amidst this discourse, Bahasa Melayu was renamed Bahasa Malaysia to connote its role as a marker of Malaysian unity. Nonetheless, the Malays retain extra socioeconomic rights, and perhaps because of this history of race relations, essentialised ethnic identities remain the single most defining element of contemporary Malaysian society (Frith 2000; Hamayotsu 2014).…”

Islamiseringsprosessen i Malaysia. Hva innebærer den og hvilke årssammenhenger kan ligge bak?

“…Kritikere hevder det potensielle sikkerhetsproblemet var skapt av departementet, siden hele problemstillingen oppsto som et resultat av det opprinnelige forbudet. I Indonesia og mange arabisktalende land har kristne alltid brukt navnet 'Allah' uten at det har vakt reaksjon hos muslimer (Choong 2014;Hamayotsu 2014;Kit 2014;Meerangani & Ramli 2016;Neo 2014).…”

Ethnicity, popular democratic movements and labour in Malaysia

“…Opinions were, however, mixed. Hamayotsu (2013) argued that Malaysian politics remained deeply affected by ethnicity. Efforts by Malay-led political parties (UMNO and PAS) to be more ‘inclusive’ have been rejected by the Malay community (especially by their religious and political elites), who are anxious to preserve their power and position and regard inclusivity as a threat to the Malay position.…”