Recently, the sensitive topic of “assimilation” had reared its ugly head again in Malaysia; and unfortunately too, it had to happen during the joyous Deepavali festive season - when everyone, and their cat, were busy munching muruku and sipping masala tea while thanking God they were living in a multi-cultural and “multi-cuisine” society!
According to news website BNN, in the most recent episode of the popular podcast ‘Keluar Sekejap’, former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had delved into the intricate subject of “cultural assimilation” of Chinese and Indian immigrants in Malaysia; he had articulated that these immigrant communities historically exhibited resistance to integrating into Malay culture, choosing instead to preserve their unique cultural identities.
Dr Mahathir had pointed out that while some demographic groups like Arab and Indian immigrants had assimilated, Chinese and Indian immigrants generally refrained since they did not want to be identified as Malays.
The same report also cited Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong, who echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that non-Malays, particularly the Chinese, had declined assimilation to safeguard their cultural roots and pride; nevertheless, minor instances of assimilation of non-Malays into Malay culture are evident, such as in the Peranakan Baba Nyonya and Indian Chetti communities in Melaka.
Meanwhile, providing a balanced perspective on “assimilation and integration”, another expert Dr Mohd Faizal Musa had pointed out that both strategies are crucial to nation-building, stressing that it is typical and valid for minorities to fervently guard their culture.
The report added that Dr Mahathir had also brought attention to Malaysia’s exceptional model of integration, juxtaposing it with the assimilation philosophies of neighboring countries like Indonesia and Thailand.
He had further underscored that Malaysia’s scenario is one of assimilation and integration cohabiting, a phenomenon not routine in other nations; furthermore, the ex-PM had recalled that in the pursuit of independence, apparently Malays had displayed readiness to accept Chinese and Indian immigrants as Malayan citizens. (Read here)
However, in the same podcast, hosted by ex-minister Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) and former Umno information head Shahril Hamdan, Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying that not only did the Chinese and Indians refuse to assimilate, he also alleged that the two communities had looked down on Malays!
To his credit, the host KJ had interjected by saying that Malaysia's model of integration amongst citizens is more preferred compared to the assimilation in Indonesia and Thailand; he also reminded the ex-PM that he himself had promoted unity and diversity, when he was the prime minister.
Meanwhile, according to historians, non-Malays, in this case the Chinese and Indians, rejected assimilation into the Malay culture in order to preserve their own (which may date back to thousands of years).
Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong had further mentioned that Chinese refused to assimilate to the Malay lifestyle and it had been their stand from the start; he further added that there was a belief back then that assimilation meant that the non-Malays had to become Muslims, which was also the reason it was rejected. Source: (NST)
Conversely, outspoken former Penang deputy chief minister Prof P Ramasamy was reported to have said that it was easy and “racist” to blame non-Malays for the situation; he added that it was actually the colonial policies and Dr Mahathir who were to be blamed for the lack of assimilation as there was never (really) any attempt by them to bring the races together.
Anyway, by the looks of it, whether it's assimilation or integration, it has never been an issue here in Malaysia, although there were still some "embittered" voices harping on it every now and then.
After all, Malaysia's status as a multiethnic, multicultural and multi-religious nation is already alluded to in its Constitution; and furthermore, there seems to be no express requirement for assimilation into the local dominant culture. Well, maybe, Malaysia was meant to be a unique, “living microcosm of Asia” after all!
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