Introduction: Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia.

It
consists of thirteen states and three federal territories. It is a unique country of
multi-ethnic group who are living in harmony. Conflict among ethnic group is very
rare in Malaysia ensuring that Malaysia is a pluralist society. It is very important
task of the Malaysian government to develop a nation which must be integrated,
harmonious and democratic and which also shares a national identity and values as
Malaysian nation. This aim has been a great concern of the government from
independence until the present and it is reflected in the need to develop a united
Malaysian nation. The latest effort of the government in this concern is Malaysia
policy.

National Integration: National integration means national unity or national

consensus. It is defined as the creation of national political system supersedes or
incorporates all the regional sub systems. National unity is a process to unite
various groups that have different social and cultural background into one physical
entity. For example, the effort of uniting Sabah, Sarawak and the Peninsular of
Malaysia into a federation, is an effort at achieving national unity.

According to S. P. Huntington-“National integration is a phenomenon as much as

national disintegration”.

Some writers defined it is a process of uniting groups with different backgrounds

into one entity which is bound by common norms, values and interests. When the
integration takes place, there will be a sense of belonging and ties of feelings
between people themselves.

So, National integration does not mean national building rather it means
reservation of the sovereignty of the state in a gallant way.

The efforts taken by Malaysian Government to ensure stability and unity

among the races: The most important of task of Malaysian government was to
integrate the nation. And to integrate this nation the Malaysian government was
taken some steps as efforts of national integration. There are 3 important steps as
government efforts in handling the problem of weakness in unity. Those are
following-

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Political Efforts: There are many political efforts as government efforts in
handling the problem of weakness in unity. Among political measures taken are
actions through the legislative system, where laws and acts are made by Parliament
to settle problems related to unity.

 First, the Constitution contains a number of clauses oriented towards racial

equality such as allocations that provide protection to certain communities.

 For instance articles related to the special rights of the Malays and
citizenship for others.

 Secondly, the acts passed by Parliament safeguard understanding among the

races.

 Among them is Seditions Act/Incitement Act 1948 aimed at preventing an

individual from raising sensitive issues.

 Matters that are not allowed to be questioned:

(1) The position of Malay as national language

(2) The position of Malay rulers
(3) The special rights of the Bumiputra
(4) The citizenship rights of non Bumiputra
 Thirdly, the Internal Security Act (ISA) aimed at protecting the country’s
interests and internal security.

 The Act empowers the government to arrest and detain whomsoever that is
thought to create internal security problems.

 Fourthly, the Alliance (BN) today which unites parties into one bigger multi-
racial organization.

Economic Effort: Economic problems constitute a serious obstacle to creating

unity. Visible economic differences among races can give rise to feelings of
discontent or envy that can spark off conflict. That’s why the Malaysian
government has taken some measure to solve these problem these are-

(1) The five-year plans and government development policies aimed at

having economic equity among the races and to reduce identification of

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 race by economic activity was taken to develop the economy and lessen
the differences among the ethnic group.
(2) New economic policy (NEP) was taken to reduce the economic disparity
among the ethnic group.
(3) Different economic measures were taken by making a economic
commission under the proposal of that commission.
Social and Cultural Effort: There are some social and economic efforts which are
taken by the Malaysian government are given below-

(1) The introduction of National Cultural Policy: the Malaysian government

introduced a national cultural policy (NCP) in 1971 to reduce the cultural
gap among different ethnic group. It was hoped that the introduction of
National Cultural Policy would create a national identity for the plural
society of Malaysia. In Malaysia, the national culture is founded upon the
Malay culture with the incorporation of elements from other cultures
found in the country.
(2) The promulgation of the common basis of Racial Unity in Malaysia:
Sharing of political power among different ethnic groups a common
federal political party was created in Malaysia named Barisan Nasional
including three political parties i.e. UMNO, MCA and MIC. Three
political partners-UMNO, MCA and MIC-that the sharing of political
power is an effective means for managing a multi-ethnic society.
(3) Democratic Government: Democratic government is an important
element of national integration. Malaysia has been practicing
parliamentary democracy since 1957. As a result, it made easier for the
people to voice their objection and dissatisfactions as well as to make
specific demands. A person can voice and make criticisms only within the
confines of the law that protects the individual concerns.
(4) Economic Growth: Economic Growth plays an important role to reduce
the cultural disparity among the nation. Economic growth through
equitable redistribution and taking into account the aspirations of the
different races. Continuous economic growth in the past decades made it
possible to reduce the gap between communities.
(5) Cultural Compromise: Readiness to accept cultural and religious
diversity as a source of strength. Cultural diversity is a reality; that
constitutes today, strength in the building of the Malaysian nation.
The challenges faced in creating national integration: The national integration
process is not possible in a day. To unite the nation a country faces some

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challenges and through overcoming these obstacles a country can acquire its true
integration. The major challenges of national integration are the following-

 Prejudice: Prejudice is a pre-judgment action. It is caused (someone)

to judge prematurely and irrationally. The problem with this country
is, it usually takes the form of ‘bad impression’ of other races.
 Communalism: This is the attitude of favoring one’s ethnic
community. In Malaysia, this phenomenon is quite obvious in the
economic, political, social and cultural whereby an ethnic group
shows favoritism towards those from within the group. Such
communal behaviour can easily lead to tension in relationship and
social gaps between individuals or groups of different ethnic origin.
 Ethnocentrism: This refers to the belief that one’s culture is superior
to that of others. Because this belief, any cultural element or
manifestation of another culture that is different I considered wrong,
bad or even dangerous.
 Ignorance of other ethnic groups: This means limited or lack of
understanding of the way of life, the living conditions and the
problems of the other races. Ignorance about other races is usually
because of the physical separation such as territories and urban-rural
separation that limit social contacts.
 Process of socialization limited to within ethnic groups: The
process of socialization among members of one ethnic group is not
conducive to a wide exposure to other cultural elements. Different
races have different ways of bringing up children especial at home.
 Racism: Communalism refers to the attitude of favouring one’s own
ethnic group. This kind of feeling is also prevalent in Malaysia. For
example, the political parties that exist in Malaysia are still on ethnic
base. UMNO represents the Malays, MCA and Gerakan represent the
Chinese, MIC represents the Indians and many others. Each political
party will fight for the interests of its ethnic. It happens in the country
where there are some companies refuse to hire those who cannot
speak certain language that belongs to one ethnic group.
 Communal Politics: The ruling party in the country displays
integration of various political parties within it; generally racial
politics remains an important feature of politics in the country.
Opposition parties, for example, continue to voice, loud and clear, the
feelings and demands of only a certain community. This easily brings
up reinforces racial feelings. In this context, formation of Barisan

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 Nasional is most meaningful and practical because it joins together
various political parties.
 Socio-economic difference: Socio-economic differences among the
many ethnic groups in the country, linked for a long time to the
history of colonialism. And today to structural factors, indeed
constitute an important cause of dissatisfaction among some of the
people. They feel deprived of the chance to share in enjoying the
nation’s wealth. Programmes implemented to reduce the socio-
economic gap too, fail to make certain groups happy. They become
jealous, suspicious, frightened and feel neglected.
 Cultural differences: Cultural differences of course easily spark off
feelings of prejudice, racism, and ethnocentrism, all of which pose
threat to national integration. Different culture mean different style,
different pattern of life and different problems ultimately giving rise
to conflict. These differences are frequently revealed in all kinds of
social and cultural activities.
 Segregation or Physical separation: Physical segregation indeed
gives rise to difficulty in physical contact and results in an ethnic
group not knowing another ethnic group, especially on that lives in a
different area. For instance, the tribal communities in Sabah and
Sarawak; the opportunity for them to interact with one another is
limited, what more to come into contact with people who live in
Peninsula Malaysia. Physical separation such as this makes it easier
for prejudice, self interest and ethnocentricity to thrive.
The approaches to overcome the obstacles and challenges: The government of
Malaysia is very serious in achieving the national unity and integration. Many
approaches have been put forward to overcome the obstacles and challenges.
Among the approaches are:

a) Introducing national ideology that is Rukun Negara

b) New Economic Policy
c) National Culture Policy
d) National Education Policy
e) Promoting the use of national language
f) Political parties alliance
g) Creating the Ministry for National Unity and Community Development

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National Ideology (Rukun Negara): One of the political approaches taken by the
government is introducing national ideology. The ideology was created by National
Consultative Council after the racial riot of 13 May 1969 at the time the country
was under the rule of MAGERAN. On 31 August 1970, it was declared as a
national ideology. Its aim is to instill a common spirit and identity among the
people and to strengthen the unity among the people. The national ideology has
five principles:

(i) Belief in God

(ii) Loyalty to King and Country
(iii) Nobleness of the Constitution
(iv) Sovereignty of the Law
(v) Courtesy and Decency

In general, the objectives of the national ideology are:

(i) To achieve a greater unity among the people

(ii) To maintain democratic way of life
(iii) To create a just society
(iv) To ensure a liberal attitude towards the rich and variety of
cultural traditions
(v) To build a society that is progressive in science and technology

New Economic Policy (NEP): NEP is an economic approach by the government.

It was introduced in 1970 after the racial riot of 13 May 1969. For your
information, the main reason that caused the riot is due to economic reason in
which there was wide economic gap between the races especially between the
Malays and Chinese. The NEP is considered as an economic development and
national unity programme in a multiracial society. Thus, the NEP was introduced to
demolish the economic gap between:

(i) Bumiputras and non-Bumiputras

(ii) People in the rural and town areas

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 (iii) People in the west coast and east coast states
(iv) People in Peninsular and Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak)

If we look in depth, there was imbalance of wealth distribution between the races
and people that have been mentioned above. Non-bumiputras, people in town
areas, people in the west coast (focal of economic activities) and people in
Peninsular gained more economic wealth of the country as compared to those
Bumiputras, people in the rural areas, east coast states and people of Sabah and
Sarawak in which the rate of poverty more prevalent and rampant among them.
Besides that, before the riot of 1969 up to the NEP, races were identified through
their economic function. For example, the Chinese were recognized as merchants
and businessmen because they dominated the economic activities, the Malays as
farmers because they lived in rural areas and the Indians as estate labours because
they lived in estates. Based on this situation, the NEP was created as such with
two-pronged aim:

(i) To reduce and eradicate poverty by increasing income and job

opportunities to all citizens without looking at their races

(ii) To restructure communities in order to reduce and erase the

identification of races through economic function

National Culture Policy (NCP): NCP is a social approach towards the national
integration and was introduced in August 1971. Through NCP, people are
encouraged to share values among them. It has been done since independence
until today. The NCP is based on the culture o the indigenous people of the
country. Any universal and positive elements from other cultures which are
suitable and contribute towards unity may be adopted into the NCP. For example,
the practice of mutual aid (gotong-royong) in Malay society has been adopted in
the NCP as the practice is obviously positive. One interesting point is that Islam is
made as the most important element in the NCP. Malay language is made as the
official language and medium of communication in the NCP. Through the NCP, it
is hoped that it will create a national identity for the multiracial society of
Malaysia.

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National Education Policy: Since independence, many educational reports have
been implemented in order to unite and integrate the people. During the British
colonial, they did not have a clear education policy. They allowed education to
develop into four virtually segregated streams which were based on ethnicity –
English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Each of the streams had its own objectives,
syllabus (normally taken from their country of origin), medium of instruction and
teachers’ qualification and training standard. The Chinese for example, used
Chinese language as the medium of instruction and children were exposed to the
history of China. Malayan history was totally excluded from the syllabus likewise
the Tamil school. This happened because of the divide and rule policy of the
British who did not want to see the people united. In their eyes, when people
united, all races would against them.

After the defeat of Japanese in the World War II, the British came back to rule the
country. The local leaders put onto them pressure to streamline the education
system in order to promote racial unity. Below is the chronology of the
development of national education system through educational reports. The names
of those reports were taken from the name of Minister of Education at that time.
For the purpose of discussion, this topic just brings to you the content of the
reports that relate to national unity only.

Razak Report 1956: The report was made by a committee formed by the British
government. The committee was headed by Dato’ Abdul Razak Hussein, Minister
of Education at that time. The committee was responsible to prepare a proposal for
national education system. Below are the proposals:

1. There should be one education system only

2. Malay language is made the national language and the medium of
instruction in education
3. Malay and English language to be made compulsory for all
primary school and secondary schools
4. For national-type schools that is English, Chinese and Tamil
languages to be the medium of instruction
5. To establish one type of school opened to all races

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 Rahman Talib Report 1961:To strengthen the implementation of the
Razak Report, some changes and amendments were made to it by the
Rahman Report. Among the contents that relate to national unity are:
(1)There should be two types of school – national schools and
national type school
(2)Malay language to replace English as the medium of instruction in
all primary schools
(3)Chinese and Tamil should be taught should be there at least 15
pupils or parents requests it
Finally, in 1970, the Malay language became the medium of instruction in the
Peninsular, replacing English language. Then, it was extended to Sabah and
Sarawak in 1976. Beginning from that until today, there is a single national
education system in this country.
Hussein Onn Report 1971: The main aim of the report was to restudy the National
Education Policy and to provide basic education to all children in the schooling
ages that can be accommodated in Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil stream
schools. Even though, Malay language had replaced English as the medium of
instruction, the English language continues as the second language and was still
taught in all schools due to its importance for higher education, trade and
international affairs.

Mahathir Report 1985: During the time of the former 4th Prime Minister, Dr.
Mahatihir Mohamad became the Deputy Prime Minister, he chaired a Cabinet
Committee to re-examine the National Education Policy. The Mahathir Report then
was established. The goal is to ensure the existing education system satisfied the
country’s goal of producing a united, disciplined and trained society.

Promoting the use of national language: As being discussed in the Main

Provisions of the Constitution, Malay language is made as the national language of
the country. It is used to promote unity among the people. Few proverbs have been
created to promote unity through the national language such as ‘Language is the
Soul of the Nation’ (Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa) and ‘Language Unite the nation’
(Bahasa Menyatukan Bangsa).

Establish Ministry, Department and Agency of National Unity: In 1990,

Ministry of National Unity and Social Development was established. One of the
objectives of its establishment is to encourage unity of a multiracial society and to
promote national integration. Under the Ministry, several departments were formed
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such as the Social Welfare Department, Department of Social Unity, Department
for Orang Asli Affairs, Department of Women’s Affairs and National Welfare
Foundation. For the national integration, the Department of Social Unity played
important roles in ensuring the success of the ministry effort towards integration.
Thus, several objectives that relate to national integration of the department were
set up. Among others, the objectives are:

(i) To increase community awareness on national unity and

integration through activities and programmes that encourage
and strengthen those values.

(ii) To organize and coordinate racial interaction programmes

through Rukun Tetangga, a scheme which is based on the spirit
of neighbourliness.

(iii) Educate children of various races in forming a personality and

character that can serve the efforts for national unity and
integration

For instance, in 1969, National Unity Department in the Ministry of national Unity
and Social Development was established. Agencies and organizations were also set
up such as KEMAS, RELA and Rukun Tetangga. Currently, through RELA, the
government encourages all races to be member of RELA.

Political party’s alliance: The seriousness of the government to ensure the unity
can be seen from the early stage of the ‘birth’ of Malaysia (i.e in the struggle of the
past leaders to get independence of Malaysia). The leaders from the major three
races i.e Malays, Chinese and Indians had taken initiative to form alliance among
the political parties that represent those three races. As a result, National Front
(Barisan National) that is an alliance between UMNO, MIC and MCA was
established in 1951. The alliance remains until today. Through the alliance, all
opposing views among the races are coordinated and resolved by the party

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representatives. The alliance had proven in certain extent succeeded in managing
communal conflict.

Conclusion: From the discussion we can say that, Malaysia is a multi-ethnic or

multi-cultural and pluralist society. From the independent to present, this country
has faced many challenges, problems and obstacles in national integration. Many
governments have taken many efforts to ensure stability and unity among the
different races and ethnic group. The Malaysian government has always put efforts
is very important for national integration or unity. The national integration will
ensure the country’s prosperity and the prosperity will create national integration.

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 References

(1) Milne, R. S.; Government and politics in Malaysia.

(2) The Journal of the Malaysian bar: towards national integration of the
constitution, government and ethnicity.
(3) Bhuiya, Md. Abdul; Dakkhin o’ Dakkhin Purbo Asia: Somaj O Rajniti.
(4) Molla, Gyasuddin; South and Southeast Asian Politics.
(5) Jahan, Rounaq; Pakistan: Failure of National Integration.
(6) Gauch, Harold; Government and Society in Malaysia.
(7) Asian Survey; February, 2002.
(8) www.wiki.com
(9) Wodak, R. (2007): “Different Views on Language in/and Politics”, Journal
of Language and Politics 6(2): 1-5.
(10) Zuraidah Mohd Don & David, M. K. (2005): “The Testing of Literacy
Skills in an ESL Environment”, In Chan S. H. (ed): ELT Concerns in
Assessment. Kuala Lumpur: Melta-Sasbadi: 111-126.
(11) Van Dijk, Teun. (1988): Discourse and Discrimination. Detroit: Wayne
State University Press.

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