67th Merdeka Celebration: The Unique Features of the Malaysian Society

by, Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak & Maziah Mustapha

This short article is written in conjunction with the 67th Merdeka Day celebration. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Malaysia Madani: Jiwa Merdeka’ which translates to ‘Civilized Malaysia: Free Spirit.’ In civilized Malaysia, people from all walks of life, including leaders and ordinary citizens, are expected to uphold good conduct, embodying the essential qualities of a responsible and ethical citizen.

To progress as a nation and achieve greater heights of success, it is crucial to eradicate the culture of bribery, corruption, and misuse of power in every sector of our life as Malaysians. Embracing the spirit of freedom, every race in Malaysia should be treated with fairness and justice. The freedom to voice opinions is essential, but it must be exercised diplomatically underMalaysian ethics and adab.

The right to speak the truth and seek justice must always be coupled with responsibility. This is not a call for unrestrained freedom, as seen in some parts of the world, but for freedom that respects the values and responsibilities inherent in our society.

Every individual as God’s creation is unique. Similarly, every nation has its own uniqueness and attraction. Some advanced countries in the world are special for their great achievements in the areas of science and technology. Countries in the West that have enchanting landscapes become ideal spots for holidaymakers to enjoy time together with family and friends. In contrast, countries in the East that have interesting cuisines, warm weather and beautiful beaches attract a great volume of tourists from the rich and colder regions of the world.

Malaysia has its own interesting characteristics that are different from those of many countries in the world. Malaysia got its sovereignty from the British colonial rule on 31^st August 1957. It has a diverse population. Three main ethnic groups live in Malaysia, they are the Malays who are called ‘Bumiputeras’ or ‘Sons of the Soil’, the Chinese and Indians. In addition, many indigenous people live in the peninsular of Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak (these two states are also called as East Malaysia). 

This year Malaysians will be celebrating the 67^th Independence Day, popularly known as Hari Kemerdekaan. Annals of Malaysia say that, on the eve of Malaysia’s independence, many foreign political observers predicted that there would be racial and power struggles that would eventually fail the newly formed country. Directly opposite to the prediction, Malaysia managed to sail through for many decades after being liberated from the clutches of its colonial master. Between the years 1968 and 1989, the communist insurgency tried to grab power through the use of terror and violence, but it failed. At the moment, Communism is not a threat to Malaysia as it has been abolished in toto. Besides that, in 1969, Malaysia first experienced a racial clash threatening the unity established during its inception. Within three days, the local authorities managed to bring the clashes under control and successfully restored peace and order in the country. 

Malaysia, which began as an agrarian country, has successfully diversified its economy by venturing into science, technology, and industrialization. The nation and its people emphasize the importance of balance and moderation in all aspects of life. This philosophy is reflected in Malaysia’s approach to education and governance, where the values of moderation are upheld, and the needs of civil society are prioritized.

The Malaysian government wants to become a fully developed nation in the next few decades. To do this, the government is working hard to reduce the differences between the various ethnic groups living in the country. These efforts are part of a bigger plan to create a united identity called ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ in the near future. 

The Unique Features of Malaysia

1. A Peaceful and Moderate Nation

As a developing country, Malaysia is on its way to joining the advanced countries of the world. But when compared with others in the Islamic world, it is one of the best. Even though Islam is the official religion of the country, all other religions are accepted and respected. As a country that believes in the philosophy of moderation and is rooted in Eastern culture, Malaysia gives the freedom for its citizen to practice their native language, culture and customs. Every religious group has the freedom to build its place of worship and to carry out its rituals. People are given holidays to celebrate their religious festivals.      

2. A Safe Environment

The government has prohibited people from carrying firearms. If caught under the law of carrying one without the government’s approval one is faced with a harsh sentencing. Since the streets of Malaysia are safe for moving around either on foot or by vehicle, only a few high-profile personalities are given the license to own firearms for personal protection. Here in Malaysia, people are safe to walk around the streets even after nightfall. The schools, shopping malls, places of worship, public squares, etc. are all safe. A shooting spree is a thing that rarely happens. 

3. Food Culture

Malaysians, like people around the world, have a good taste for food. Each state in the country takes pride in its unique cuisine. The island of Penang as the culinary paradise of Malaysia, in particular, has so much to offer to holidaymakers. Very famous among the food that makes local tourists return to the island, are items like Nasi Kandar, Pasembur, Ais Kacang, Chendol etc. Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai and Teh Tarik are famous breakfast items in many parts of the country. In Malaysia, any time is a good time to have a glass of Teh Tarik and a piece of Roti Canai. There is a saying in Malaysia that goes, “When two people meet, the next thing on their mind is food.” Since food is in the variety, people have a good taste for cuisines. 

4. Open-House 

The Open House held during festive seasons is another unique culture that can only be found in Malaysia. The individual, family or any organization that hosts an Open House will provide food and delicacies. An Open House invitation is normally extended to families, friends, neighbours, staff of a company and others. The whole idea of having an Open House is to invite others to join the merriment of the celebration. Normally, people who attend an Open House are served a wide variety of items to choose from, all for free. Besides the ordinary people, at a higher level of celebration, the Prime Minister and ministers will also host an Open House. The philosophy behind an Open House is to inculcate the feeling of togetherness and to rejuvenate the common identity as Malaysians. Moreover, it eradicates racial polarization in the country.

5. Malaysians are Shy and Private People

Generally, Malaysians are shy, humble, private people. With such characteristics, they do not get involved in other people’s business unnecessarily. To show arrogance and haughtiness is a big no, no in Malaysia. Being overly shy, sometimes they forget to smile even to tourists at the airports and railway stations. It is a different story at the hotels and posh restaurants, as the staff in such places are trained to show the highest level of common courtesy to the clients. The absence of a smile on the face of Malaysians should not be taken negatively as a people who don’t welcome you to ask questions. Though they don’t smile much, they are good at-heart people. They are harmless. Particularly for Muslims in Malaysia, being shy is part of their good behaviour which they call the Akhlaq. In addition to Akhlaq the other word that refers to good behaviour is the word ‘Adab’. This word is pretty much taken seriously by Muslims. The word Adab can be translated as ‘common courtesy, etiquette, manners, etc. There is a famous Malay proverb that says, ‘When Adab goes missing, Biadab comes in’ (when ethics go missing, barbarism comes in).

6. Law Abiding People

Malaysians of all races and religions are mostly law-abiding citizens who respect the law and authority. From a young age, they are taught to follow the Rukun Negara (National Principles), which include key values such as Belief in God, Loyalty to the King and Country, Supremacy of the Constitution, Rule of Law, and Courtesy and Morality.

Guided by the above principles, generally, people follow rules and regulations when they are in crowded places like; when using public transportation, shopping at a mall, dining at a restaurant, queuing up at the cinema, airports, polling stations, dealing with government agencies, etc. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, unlike many other countries in the world, people followed instructions given to them. Except for a few isolated cases, the majority of Malaysians followed all decisions made by the government.   

Since Malaysia practices a democratic system of ruling, people normally wait for the polling day to come by. All the protests, disagreements and unhappiness living as citizens of the country, they will take to the polling station. Over there, they will choose the government of their choice. So far, there have been very few reports on the chaotic scenes that happened at the polling stations.   

7. At a time of Leadership Crisis

There were two instances in the history of Malaysia where the political situation made it difficult for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to elect a Prime Minister. It happened once in 2020 and another in 2022. In the first instance, the sitting Prime Minister resigned, and political parties had to come up with a coalition to form a new government. In the second instance, none of the coalition parties that contested the election had a clear majority to form a government. In both situations, the Sultan of Pahang who was the King of Malaysia, had many parleys with the aspirant leaders who wanted to be the Prime Minister. Each of the two situations went on for more than a week.   

Even during the two instances, though the country did not have a Prime Minister the rakyat (people) conducted their daily routines of life as usual. Given the same situation in the absence of a leader in a country, in some other parts of the world, things would have gone the other way around. Normally, when there is no king, president or prime minister, people take themselves to the streets to carry out arson attacks, loot shopping malls, start a racial clash, even the military can carry out a coup d’état, etc.

Ever since the two crisis periods Malaysia went through successfully in finding a new candidacy for the Prime Minister’s post, some who previously did not feel the relevance of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultans in the country, started to realise the importance of the two in the country. Though democracy is the best system for running a country, sometimes it too cannot find an immediate solution to solve when there is a leadership crisis in the country. Thanks to the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong for using his discretion in finding an amicable solution for the nation to move on. The people too should be praised for the patience and trust shown to the Agong to solve the leadership crisis in the country.    

Current Challenges Faced by Malaysia

Globalization fueled by the Internet and social media works both ways. It can either bring positive changes to people’s mindsets or can influence them negatively. Imitating a good culture, raising money for a good cause, learning new skills, getting in touch with people’s sufferings, etc. through social media will be good things for Malaysians to do. Conversely, hate speech, perverted sexuality, rebellious behaviour, anti-establishment slogans, racial slurs, Islamophobia, etc. are things that should not be imitated by young Malaysians. Such negative attitudes and behaviours learned through the Internet can be detrimental to the unity of this country.  

The authors of this article have highlighted several unique aspects of Malaysian society. Due to space constraints, they could not delve deeper into the topic. However, every nation has its own reasons to be proud of. As Malaysians, we can take pride in being a country that promotes racial harmony, world peace, fairness, and justice, as well as being a voice for the oppressed and downtrodden people of the world.***

(Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak is an academic in the Department of Fundamental & Inter-Disciplinary Studies, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and Dr. Maziah Mustapha is an academic in the Department of Usuluddin of the same Kulliyyah at the International Islamic University Malaysia.)