MALAYS AND OTHER BUMIPUTERAS The formation of Malaysia in 1963 introduced a new dimension to the understanding and definition of Malay and Malayness, arising from the addition of the Muslim groups in Sarawak and Sabah, such as the Dusun and Murut in Sabah, and the Melanau in Sarawak. Unlike the Malays in the Peninsula, these groups did not constitute a majority in the states, as more than 60 per cent of the population consisted of non-Muslim natives (such as the Iban, Bidayuh, Kadazan) and Chinese. The federal government used the term Bumiputera (‘son of the soil’) to accommodate the Malays and the native Muslims and non-Muslims of Sarawak and Sabah in a single category. In the late 1980s a decision by the leading party in the federal government, UMNO (the United Malays Nationalist Organisation), to open its doors to non-Muslim Bumiputeras so that the Barisan Nasional (National Front) could regain control over Sabah from the Christian-led opposition, shows that the definition of the borders of a concept can have far-reaching effects on its content. Malayness as defined by the Malay nationalist movement in the 1920s and 1930s, and redefined by UMNO, had to be reformulated in the case of Sabah, illustrating the flexibility of the concept or category of Malay. It also shows that the CONCEPT OF MALAY IS SITUATIONAL BECAUSE IT CAN EASILY SHIFT MEANING AND ADAPT TO NEW SITUATIONS. Nonetheless, a Malay is defined in the Malaysian Constitution as a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language and conforms to Malay customs. The term ‘constitutional Malay’ originates from this provision. The definition has economic, political and cultural ramifications on the lives of all Malaysians. It unites and divides, not only the Malays and the non-Malays, but also the Malays themselves. -- from Malays and Malayness: Identity and definitions
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 14:29:42 +0000
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