Malaysian educational policy for national integration:

Contested terrain of multiple aspirations in a multicultural nation

Reviewed by Kamal Fatimi Azmi

My Point Of View
Malaysia, a diverse and multicultural country with 3 major races and more than 10 ethnic groups,
has evolved from a Third Country to a developing country. All of it is products of research and
experimentation made by our leaders since before the Independence Day on 1957. In this article, the
Authors try to explain a policy by Malaysian Government on National Integration in Malaysia
multicultural living environment.
Before we go much further, let me define some of the words the authors used.
National integration is the awareness of a common identity amongst the citizens of a country. It
means that though we belong to different races, religions and regions and speak different languages,
we recognize the fact that we are all one.
Multicultural nation means that the society contains a number of divergent cultural and social
norms (such as issues of dress, language, preferred artistic expression, religious observance) but
does not attempt to constrain or persuade the practitioners of those norms to assimilate to a single
set of cultural practices. In other words while societies have a tendency to try to enforce cultural
uniformity, in a multi-cultural society the members tolerate and sometimes celebrate cultural
diversity. (www.merriam-webster.com )

National Integration
National integration is a complex concept. It has social, political, religious, regional and economic
dimensions. The three basic factors of national integration are;
1. Structural equality: equal opportunity must be provided for all especially those who are socially
and economically backward
2. Cultural unity: discriminations due to race, religion, and caste should be eradicated

3. Ideological unity: awareness about national objectives should be created among the people
who hold divergent views on political and religious and similar other fields.
The societies that have been integrated into bonds of unity have always enjoyed peace, stability,
prosperity and permanence. And those torn by mutual disruptive tendencies among various sections
of the society have always been short lived and become non-existent. It also means unifying all the
forces in the country so as to give the idea of one nation.
National Integration involves:1. The sentiments of nationalism,
2. The feeling of oneness,
3. Social, political, economic, linguistic and cultural unity,
4. Common ideas of life and common code of behavior,
5. The ability to subordinate sectarian and parochial loyalties to loyalty of the nation.

How do we bring about national integration?

There are few proven ways.
It can be forced out, or can be made to strengthen from within the core of our hearts. The result of
force would always be weak, unsuccessful and it would be for a temporary phase only. But when the
sense of national integration stems from within our hearts, it would be strong stable and ever-lasting.
History speaks for itself, the British government brought about national integration when they ruled
Malaya. They never forced it on us. It came naturally.
The national integration was strengthened when our country fought a united struggle for freedom. In
our struggle for freedom people from different communities participated, keeping one thing in mind
that they all are Malayan first. It proves that emotional integration is the basic foundation on which
the main structure of national integration can be created.

When It All Begins

The settlement of policy in education in Malaysian education system for post independence
was the result of an agreement and trade-offs reached due to independence among the major
ethnic communities (Malays, Chinese and Indians). This consensus agreement amongst political
elites from the three major ethnic groups can be looked as a binding agreement between all major
ethnic groups in Malaysia. Taking its inspiration from the Razak Report of 1956, the Education Act
1956 set the overall framework of the educational policy which accommodated vernacular medium
schools for the Chinese and the Indians; and English and Malay mediums schools, whilst having
regard to the intention of making Malay the national language of the country (Federation of
Malaya, 1956). A crucial requirement of the educational policy was to re-orientate all schools to a
Malayan outlook. This was an essential element in the development of a united Malayan nation. The
orientation was to take place through a common content in the syllabuses of all schools irrespective
of medium of instruction.
The situation was to be reassessed by the Rahman-Talib Review Committee in 1961 that resulted
in the Education Act of 1961 (Federation of Malaya, 1961). It introduced changes in the secondary
level which furthered the principle of a unified Malay language, government-aided education
system. The Act stated the view that after a ten-year period after independence, which was
regarded as a period of transition, Malay language should assume a dominant role. As such,
after 1967 Malay should be the main language of instruction in the secondary level.
But the 1967 National Language Act, while reaffirming Malay as the sole national and official
language of the country had a lot of compromises built into the Act which left the exact role of
Malay Language still in doubt. The ambivalence of the 1967 National Language Act left the long
standing inter-communal modus Vivendi very much intact. The ultra-nationalist Malays remained
unsatisfied because of the importance given to English, whereas the non-Malay opposition
parties spoke of the betrayal of four million non-Malays in the country. The period after
1969 ethnic riots, specifically beginning from 1970 is marked as the starting point for the changing
policy orientation of the state in developing a united Malaysian nation. Since then, national unity
has become more important and led the government to implement policies with special intention of
national unity and integration.

Conclusion
We need today synthesis of the power of the mind that can give rise to a vision of the whole and
oneness. The school and university teaching material should be suitably revised wherein importance
and need of oneness should be emphasized. From one end of the country to the other end, regular
long distance tours must be conducted, so as to, foster emotional integration among the young
students of our country.
We cannot afford to be parochial, narrow-minded, provincial and communal because we have a
great mission to accomplish. Political integration has already taken place, but emotional integration
is a must for national integration. Political freedom has brought in its wake new forces of narrow
fanaticism which threaten to destroy the concept of one country and one people. In their theory,
attachment to community is given priority over devotion to the motherland.
Another key challenge facing Malaysia today is the mainstreaming of values and ethical behavior
that will promote national cohesion. In this regard, there is a need to urgently develop a policy on a
national values system. I am optimistic that such values will have a positive influence on the work
ethics and productivity of all Malaysians.
In addition to helping create national integration, these values will also result in substantial
improvement in the quality of leadership, management practices and efficient utilization of national
resources at all levels and sectors of the economy.
Through national integration, we can prosper and flourish; we can carry with us, power, strength and
solidarity and the element of cohesion which will give us further permanence to stay strong in
present struggling world.
The demand for integration is entwined with demand for a democratic and fair policy for different
ethnic groups. While the state has to remain steadfast on a policy for Malay privileges for the core
aspects of the education system, it should also ensure that other ethnic groups are given social and
economic opportunities in relation to socio-economic position and it should outlaw inequality of
opportunities imposed on any individuals or groups. This could assist in producing a just and fair
policy in the education field in the Malaysian context. The need to give more emphasis to socioeconomic inequalities across and within ethnic groups, including both majority and minority groups,
is a clear and significant finding of this research. Such a focus would offer indirect opportunities for
integration.

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