Malaysian society is made up of many cultures; mainly Malay, Chinese, Indian, aboriginal and a few other minority races. Historically, traders travelling from China to India would stop in Malaya (as it was called then) to wait for the monsoon trade winds. The Strait of Malacca in Malaysia became a convenient midpoint between China and India to trade spices, precious stones, ivory and other goods. Many of these traders settled in Malaya, resulting in a rich mix of cultures.
Q1. Would you like to live in a place where there are many different cultures? Why or why not?
Q2. Do you have a good friend who is from a different culture? What do you like about that friend?
Q3. Do you think it is important for people from different cultures to get along? Or do you think that it is important for people to stay in their own culture so that they do not lose their language and traditions?
Malaysia was part of a British colony called the British Malaya which loosely described a set of states in the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore. Over time, Malaya became Malaysia and gained independence on 9.30am on 31st August 1957. The population of Malaysia is estimated to be at 31M and made out of the following race composition: Malay 50.1%, Chinese 22.6%, indigenous 11.8%, Indian 6.7%, other 0.7%, non-citizens 8.2%. This being a multi-racial, multi-cultural society, you will hear many different languages and dialects used - Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai, (Iban & Kadazan) to name a few.
Q1. Was your country of origin colonized by another country? What advantages or disadvantages do you think colonization brings to the native people?
Q2. Do you think a country’s economy can be built by good government or do you think that it is providence (a gift from God)?
Q3. If you were one of the minority races or practiced a minority religion, how would it affect the way you live or worship?