The ‘Know Your Region’ series is designed to support unit and individual professional military education on the South East Asian region. It’s important for all serving members of our military to have a foundational knowledge of the countries and issues in the Indo-Pacific.

MALAYSIA – INFORMATION

On this page:

  • Overview
  • People and Society
  • National Identity
  • Media

 

Overview

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country made up of two major landmasses separated by water – Peninsular Malaysia to the west and East Malaysia on Borneo to the east – and numerous smaller islands that surround those landmasses. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Vietnam and Indonesia. It is linked to Singapore by a narrow causeway and a bridge. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. Brunei forms what is almost an enclave in Malaysia, with the state of Sarawak divided into two parts. The land borders are defined in large part by geological features such as the Perlis River, the Golok River and the Pagalayan Canal, whilst some of the maritime boundaries are the subject of ongoing contention.

Malaysia is the only country with territory on both the Asian mainland and the Malay Archipelago. Tanjung Piai, located in the southern state of Johor, is the southernmost tip of continental Asia. The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsula Malaysia, is a strategic location as one of the most important thoroughfares in global commerce, carrying 40% of the world's trade. Malaysia is the 66th largest country by total land area, which totals 329,847 square kilometres. For more information, see the CIA World Factbook breakdown on Malaysia and watch the following video by Geography Now.

 

As a megadiverse country, the wildlife of Malaysia is varied and has a high rate of endemism, holding an estimated 20% of the world's animal species. Most of the country is covered in rainforest that hosts around 361 mammal species, 694 bird species, 250 reptile species and 150 frog species. Of note are members of the Rafflesia genus, the largest flowers in the world, with a maximum diameter of 1 metre. Peninsula Malaysia hosts several large predators: the Indochinese tiger, the Malayan tiger, the sun bear, the Indochinese leopard, and the clouded leopard. While East Malaysia lacks the tigers, it has the other big cats and elephants, along with around 104,700 Bornean orang-utans. The large marine territory also holds a great range of life. Bordering East Malaysia, the Sulu Sea is a biodiversity hotspot, with around 600 coral species and 1,200 fish species. Malaysia's coastal waters comprise part of the Coral Triangle.

While Malaysia remains one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, the country battles with degradation of ecosystems, both in its wetland and forest habitats. Peninsular Malaysia has suffered significant deforestation since the 1960s, but that has slowed down since the 1980s. The drivers of deforestation are complex, but agricultural expansion for crops like palm oil play a considerable role. Habitat destruction has also proved a threat for marine life. Illegal fishing is a significant concern, with fishing methods such as dynamite fishing and poisoning depleting marine ecosystems. At the extremes we can see losses in certain species reaching numbers such as the 98% loss in leatherback turtle populations since the 1950s.

The Malaysian Government aims to balance economic growth with environmental protection but has been accused of favouring big business over the environment. 28 national parks have been established on both halves of the country. Animal trafficking is a large issue, and the Malaysian Government is holding talks with Brunei and Indonesia to standardise anti-trafficking laws. To learn more about this illegal industry, watch the following video.

Malaysia's geographical location protects the country from most major natural disasters; however, the tropical climate opens the country to the risk of flooding, landslides and prolonged droughts. Global climate change may exacerbate the situation with extreme weather events in Southeast Asia raising the economic, political, and social risks for Malaysia. Of concern are heatwaves, drought, cyclones and storm surges, water shortages, forest fires, sea-level rises and especially floods. The latter causes more damage than any other natural hazard the country experiences and impacts both rural and urban areas. Frequency and extremity of flood events have grown in recent decades with projections of increased rate and intensity. For more information, see the World Bank Group's Climate Change Knowledge Portal or read Malaysia Climate Risk Country Profile.

Malaysia’s climate also makes the country particularly vulnerable to vector-borne diseases especially dengue fever. Recognising these threats, Malaysia's Nationally Determined Contribution reports that the Government intends to make a sustained investment in the health sector, with a particular focus on adapting to climate change to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Malaysia’s geographic location and low poverty rates mean both its risk and vulnerability to natural hazards are lower than some of its Southeast Asian neighbours. Nonetheless, Malaysia suffers high average annual losses from the costs associated with natural disasters and has a chance to transition to a decarbonised development pathway. The Malaysian Government has been an active supporter of global efforts to address climate change since 2009, directing efforts to decouple carbon emissions from economic growth and so successfully transition to a low carbon economy.

For more information see the following resources.

 

People and Society

Malaysia is an incredibly diverse country, containing many different ethnicities, languages, and religions. People from each ethnicity have generally retained their ancestors’ cultural customs. As a result, Malaysian society accommodates a rich variety of lifestyles, beliefs, and values. The following information describes general Malaysian culture, tending to reflect the Malay majority; however, there are many divergences from this cultural mainstream throughout the country. With just under 33 million people across the two halves, the population is concentrated on Peninsular Malaysia where around 20 million people live. Due to the rise in labour-intensive industries, the country is also estimated to have just under 3 million migrant workers, making up 10% of the population.

Core concepts of Malaysia’s culture include gentleness, 'budi', respect, courtesy, modesty, face, filial piety and diversity. As members of such a multicultural society, the population are generally very attentive towards how they respectfully interact with people of all backgrounds. There are cultural norms and taboos that inform what is considered appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. This is related to the Malay concept of ‘budi’ by which politeness and respect are considered essential to human interaction. The word does not have a direct English equivalent but can be understood to describe attributes such as one’s wisdom, virtue, and morality. In this way, one can see that Malaysian politeness and etiquette have a strong ethical basis. In keeping with budi, one should be gracious, good-natured, and calm. These social expectations are shifting among the younger generation as they are becoming more accustomed to the direct style of communication that occurs in the online space. Nevertheless, it remains very important to maintain a gentle and indirect demeanour in Malaysia. For more information on these core concepts and etiquette, see the country's multicultural profile on SBS Cultural Atlas then watch the next video for an answer to the question: how diverse is Malaysia?

Malaysian citizens are divided along local ethnic lines, with around 70% considered bumiputera. The largest group of bumiputera are Malays who are defined in the Constitution as Muslims who practice Malay customs and culture. They play a dominant role politically. Bumiputera status is also accorded to the non-Malay indigenous groups of Sabah and Sarawak: which includes Dayaks (Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu), Kadazan-Dusun, Melanau, Bajau and others. There are also indigenous groups in much smaller numbers on the peninsular where they are collectively known as the Orang Asli. Laws over who gets bumiputera status vary between states. There are also two other non-bumiputera local ethnic groups: 22% of the population are Malaysian Chinese, while 7% are Malaysian Indian. Every citizen is issued a biometric smart chip identity card known as MyKad at the age of 12 and must always carry the card. For more information see the Department of Statistics Official and watch the following video.

In order to eradicate Malay poverty, the Malaysian Government in 1971 adopted policies that gave preference to the bumiputera in public university admissions, government jobs and contracts, and property ownership. Affirmative action continues to benefit well-off urban bumiputera but has done little to alleviate poverty for their more numerous rural counterparts. The policies have pushed ethnic Chinese and Indians Malayas to study at private or foreign universities and have created and sustained one of the world’s largest civil services, which is 85-90% Malay.

The official and national language is Malaysian, a standardised form of the Malay language, and referred to by the Government as Bahasa Malaysia or Bahasa Melayu. The National Language Act 1967 specifies the Latin (Rumi) script as the official written style of the national language but does not prohibit the use of the traditional Jawi script. The language style of Malay uses many proverbs (peribahasa), short evocative verses (pantun), and poems (syair). Figurative language allows people to express their point indirectly. For example, criticism may be presented in the example of a poem that reflects a similar scenario. English remains an active second language and was formerly the official state language alongside Malaysian, but its use has been restricted to a few official purposes. A unique dialect of Malaysian English is often spoken widely in business, along with Manglish which is a colloquial form of English with heavy Malay, Chinese, and Tamil influences. However, the Government views non-standard Malay as improper and discourages its usage. Other languages include Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan and Fuzhou), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi and Thai, with a total of 134 living languages including 112 indigenous languages. For more information on current attitudes towards the bumiputera system, watch the next video.

The geographic position of Malaysia on the main historical shipping routes between Indian, Arab and European regions on the one side and China and Japan on the other has made the country a meeting ground of cultures and religions for thousands of years. Because of this, nearly all the major world religions have a longstanding notable presence in Malaysia today. The Constitution grants freedom of religion and deigns Malaysia a secular state whilst establishing Islam as the religion of the Federation. According to the latest Population and Housing Census in 2010 (which can be viewed on the MyCensus 2020 Portal) approximately 61% of the population practice Islam, 20% practice Buddhism, 9% Christianity, 6% Hinduism, and 1% practice Confucianism, Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions, alongside 1% who declared no religion and the remaining were not specified. The 2020 Census will be completed later this year. Religion is also more publicly visible in Malaysia than most countries. This rich religious history is visible in architecture, and it is not uncommon to find various places of worship all near one another. Religious holidays, particularly those celebrated in open public spaces such as Ramadan (Islam) and Diwali (Hinduism and Buddhism), further blend the religious experiences of the population.

In Malaya society, a woman’s traditional role usually involves the domestic duties of a household and caring for the children. However, circumstances generally vary a lot depending on one’s family background. Attitudes towards gender roles are changing significantly among the younger generations. The next video is part of the tourist campaign, Malaysia Truly Asia, and effectively shows the diversity across the archipelago.

 

National Identity

Malaysia has a multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society. The original culture of the area stemmed from indigenous tribes that inhabited it, along with the Malays who later moved there. Substantial influence exists from Chinese and Indian culture dating back to when foreign trade began. Other influences on identity include Persian, Arabic, and British cultures. Due to the structure of the Government – coupled with Malaysia's social contract theory – there has been minimal cultural assimilation of ethnic minorities.

In 1971, the Government created a 'National Cultural Policy', defining a unified culture. It sets out three principles as guidelines: that it is based on the cultures of indigenous peoples; that if elements from other cultures are judged suitable and reasonable, they may be considered Malaysian culture; and that Islam will be an important part of national culture. This Government intervention into the national culture caused resentment among non-Malays who feel their identity and cultural freedom was lessened. To hear from mixed race Malaysians, watch the next video.

Malaysia's cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Largely due to the country being part of the ancient spice route, many cultures from within the country and from surrounding regions have greatly influenced the cuisine. Much of the influence comes from the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Javanese and Sumatran cultures. The cuisine is very similar to that of Singapore and Brunei while bearing resemblance to Filipino cuisine. Often food from one culture is cooked using styles taken from another culture. For example, sambal belacan or shrimp paste are commonly used as ingredients by Chinese restaurants to create kangkuna belacan or stir-fried water spinach. This means that although much of Malaysian food can be traced back to a certain culture, they have their own unique identity. During a dinner in Malaysia, the food is not served in courses but all at once. Rice is popular in many dishes and noodles are common. Chili is frequently found in local cuisine, although this does not make them spicy. Pork is rarely used in Malaysia because of the large Muslim population. Some celebrations have specific treats associated with them, such as mooncakes eaten during the Mooncake Festival. The following is a quick video of the most popular foods around Malaysia.

Malaysians participate in a lot of holidays and festivities throughout the year. Some are federally celebrated public holidays while others are specific to individual states. Festivals are observed by ethnic or religious groups, with the main holiday of each major group declared a public holiday for all. Almost all religious dates follow the lunar calendar, therefore the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year.

The most popular national holiday is Hari Merdeka or Merdaka Day on 31 August to commemorate the independence of the Federation of Malaysia in 1957. The Rukun Negara is Malay for 'National Principles' and is the Malaysian declaration of national philosophy instituted by royal proclamation on Merdaka Day in 1970. It countered the serious race riots a year earlier, known as the 13 May Incident, by fostering unity among the multi-ethnic society. Merdaka Day is followed by Malaysia Day on 16 September to mark the federation of modern-day Malaysia in 1963. Other notable holidays are Labour Day (1 May) and the King's birthday (first week of June).

A practice known as rumah terbuka or 'open house' is common during festivities, especially during Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Malay for Eid al-Fitr), Deepvali (Diwali), Lunar New Year, and Christmas. Open house means that all well-wishers are received and that everyone – regardless of background – is invited to attend. Normally held at the home of the host and foods are prepared by the host. There are also open houses held at larger public venues, particularly when hosted by government agencies or corporations. Most Malaysians take the time off work or school to return to their hometowns and celebrate the festivities with their extended relatives. This practice is commonly known as balik kampung and causes traffic jams on most highways in the country. For more information about the different festivals celebrated in Malaysia, watch the video below.

Malaysia's national colours are gold and black while seven symbols have come to represent a core identity. The Merbau tree (Malacca Teak) represents the national pride and Government's commitment towards sustainability. Next the hibiscus flower is known as Bunga Raya which translates to 'The Flower of Celebration'. Commonly used in teas, the five red petals symbolise courage and the National Principles. The country's development is represented by the iconic Petronas Twin Towers completed in 1996. Three animals are key to Malaysia's identity, they are: orangutans, dubbed the 'man of the forest' and only found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra; the Rhinoceros hornbill which is a protected bird species; and the Malayan tiger is an icon everywhere in Malaysia and symbolises bravery, strength, and grandeur. Lastly, the Proton car is the national car manufacturer and continues to represent the passion and commitment of Malaysia's local industries.

Popular sports in Malaysia include badminton, field hockey, bowls, tennis, squash, martial arts, horse riding, sailing, and skate boarding. Football is the most popular sport in the country. Traditional sports, such as the martial art style Silat Melayu, persist alongside modern sports.

The full version of the national anthem, 'Negaraku' (translates as 'My Country'), is only performed in the presence of the King. It was adopted in 1957, the tune coming from a popular French melody titled 'La Rosalie'.

Worth noting are some cultural disputes between Malaysia and neighbouring countries, notably Indonesia. The two countries have a similar cultural heritage and so share many traditions and items. Disputes have arisen over issues ranging from culinary dishes to Malaysia's national anthem. The respective Governments have met to defuse some of the tensions resulting from the overlaps in culture. Feelings on this issue are not strong in the Malaysian population, where most recognise that many cultural values are shared. For a longer list of national symbols watch the video below and check out the list of resources underneath.

 

Media

The mass media in Malaysia includes television, radio, newspapers, and web-based media such as bloggers. The country has Malay, English, Chinese, and Tamil dailies. Many media outlets are either owned directly by the Government of Malaysia (such as Bernama) or by component parties of the Barisan Nasional coalition (such as the Media Prima group). Even smaller parties like Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and People's Justice Party (PKR) publish their own newspapers: Jarakah and Suara Keadilan, respectively. For more information, see the BBC's media profile on Malaysia and the video below.

A divide exists between the media in the two halves of the country. Peninsular-based media gives low priority to news from the East, and often treats the eastern states as colonies of the Peninsula. As a result, the East Malaysia region of Sarawak launched TV Sarawak as an internet streaming platform in 2014 and then expanded to a TV station in 2020. All to counter the low coverage of Peninsular-based events and solidify the representation of East Malaysia.

Since conventional media is so tightly controlled by the Government, there is a lively alternative media scene. Characterised by news portals such as Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider. These media outlets take advantage of the Government's pledge not to censor the Internet. Yet freedom of the press is limited, with numerous restrictions on publishing rights and information dissemination. Kuala Lumpur has previously tried to crack down on opposition papers before elections. Sabeh state, where all tabloids but one is independent of government control, is the freest press in Malaysia. Laws, such as the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984, have been cited as curtailing freedom of expression. Another media incident in the lead up to the last election is explored in the video next video.

Access the following articles to learn more about the media in Malaysia.

 

Discussion Questions:

  • Malaysia’s media service is characterised as being divided along geographical lines. Is this representative of a divided nation, or is it similar to western media that has become increasingly divided along political lines? What would this mean for the ADF supporting regional initiatives?
  • Malaysia is an incredibly diverse country, containing many different ethnicities, languages, and religions. What are the similarities and differences between Malaysian multiculturalism and Australian multiculturalism?
  • While Malaysia remains one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, the country battles with degradation of ecosystems, both in its wetland and forest habitats. What are the key threats to Malaysia’s incredibly diverse and complex ecological systems? How can the ADF support the Malaysian military from capability development to disaster relief in reducing risk due to accelerating climate change?