Nationalism/ Pluralism/ Law/ Religion: the Case of Nation-building in Malaysia

Andrew Harding

Malaysia was created in 1963 out of diverse and unlikely nation-building material: 178 ethnic groups; innumerable languages and dialects; all the world’s leading religions; no dominant culture; a federal constitution and a colonial legal system presiding over the Islamic and other legal world-views; communist insurgency and ideological and class divisions; political parties based on ethnicity; lack of economic integration; a hostile neighbour, Indonesia threatening to destroy the federal project; Singapore, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak all disaffected. Geography too divided the riverine states, and separated Borneo and Peninsular Malaya by the expanse of the South China Sea. The very word ‘Malaysia’ was derided by conventional wisdom.

Forty years on Malaysia has settled into both unity and diversity. It enjoys law and order, economic growth, political stability, and religious pluralism. But all this at the price of UMNO dominance. This paper will look at the factors that have enabled Malaysia to create both the appearance and perhaps the reality of nationhood. It will explore the historical and continuing relevance, in the age of globalization, of UMNO politics and policy, federalism, legal pluralism, and other factors.