Strengthening Ethnic Relationship

1.0. INTRODUCTION

Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community, numbering 60% of the population, follows Muslim religion, speak Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and are largely responsible for the political fortunes of the country. The Chinese comprise of about a quarter of the population, are mostly Buddhists, Taoists or Christian and speak Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew dialects and have been historically dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10% of the population, are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, speaking Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi dialects and live in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. There is also a sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians Kampucheans, Vietnamese and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. Malay is the official language of the country but English is widely spoken.

Although MalaysiaÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s ethnic mix is generally harmonious, the various communities remain largely separated and things have not always been so peaceful. Chinese and Malays fought each other during the Japanese occupation and in 1969 hundreds of Chinese were killed in riots. This violence grew out of Malays discontent about Chinese dominance in business. The governmentÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s solution was the new Economic Policy which emphasized the unity of all people.

Malaysia has adopted many Chinese customs. The entire country celebrates Chinese New Year when streets are lined with banners and lion dancers weave through excited crowds.

Indians were among the first traders to arrive on Peninsular Malaysia, their numbers growing in the 1800s. Unlike Malays and Chinese, Indians are clustered in a handful of areas, notably Penang, Perak and Selangor but Hindu Tamils are from southern India. Their culture with itÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s exquisite Hindu temples, cuisine and colorful garments is visible throughout the land.

We as the future generations have to work together to preserve the peace and harmony of our country. We have to strengthen our inter-ethnic relations so we can prevent the 13th May tragedy from repeating. Ways to strengthen inter-ethnic relations are stated in this assignment.

2.0 Factors to overcome in order to improve inter- ethnic relations.

The obstacles to a strong inter- ethnic relation among the community can be basically divided into three groups. Generally, the three important factors that affect it negatively are:

Ð'Ñ"Ð"± Prejudice: attitude towards other groups based on common generalizations, on evidences that are not concrete.

Ð'Ñ"Ð"І Communalism: attitude of favoring oneÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s own ethnic community.

Ð'Ñ"Ð"Ñ- Ethnocentrism: belief that oneÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s own culture is superior to that of others.

If we are ever to achieve strong ethnic relation then the following aspects of society must be taken into careful consideration and a solution must be formed, to overcome them. The factors are:

i) Ignorance of other ethnic groups

ii) Process of socialization limited to within ethnic groups

iii) Communal politics

iv) Socio-economic difference

v) Cultural differences

vi) Segregation or physical separation

By understanding and learning about these reasons of negative impact, we are able to better stipulate laws and ideas that lead to a happy multiracial society and hence a strong inter- ethnic community.

This brief research paper will delve into the ideas and discuss the prospects at hand that provide the answers and methods to solve this problem in the most effective possible manner.

3.0 Raising the English standard in Malaysia

The standard of English should be raised especially in rural states in Malaysia like Negeri Sembilan, Kedah and so on. Communication is the key to understand each other from different backgrounds, different race, and different lifestyle. English should be made the international language where everybody can communicate through English. English was the lingua franca and now as the world is regarded as one single state, the government has wisely decided that English is a must. Especially in this globalised world, English is very important for communication with people within the country and also with people around the world.

English should be taught in schools whether it is a government school or a private school. Tamil and Chinese schools should also teach proper English to their student. English teachers can be imported to teach schools. Mathematics and science subjects should also be taught in English. Local teachers should undergo training for English language especially in rural states. They should practice good grammatical English because it is a common sight where students are the ones correcting their teacherÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦s English. The government should have checks on schools to make

sure teachers adhere to the rules in teaching mathematics and science subjects in English. This is because they are still a minority of teachers who still teach in Malay as they have been using Bahasa Malaysia through out their teaching career and they donÐ'ÐŽÐ'¦t feel confident speaking in English.

English society should be recommended in every school and students should be encouraged to join them. English story telling competitions, debate, essay writing, scrabble competitions are also a few ways to improve English among students. Students should be encouraged to speak English in their conversation with friends during English lessons or even during break times and in between classes. Some student especially Chinese pupils still prefer to speak in dialects, and this has jeopardize their standard of English.

The mindset that some people have is that Bahasa Malaysia will degrade