The Cultural Norms, Language, Values and Ideology of the Country of Malaysia

There are so many places in the world that you have probably heard of and may not know that much about. If they don't hit the news very often and they aren't a huge part of U.S. Foreign Policy then we as Americans do not know very much about them. One of these countries that recently hit the papers due to something completely disassociated with their culture is Malaysia and the event I'm talking about is the Malaysian airline disappearance. Not very many people know that much about Malaysia and now it is everywhere. Its cultural norms, its language, its values and its ideologies represent the Malaysian culture.

The cultural norms of a country tell a lot about them. In the United States events like fireworks on the Fourth of July and wreaths during the winter months around Christmas say a lot about us. In Malaysia three main cultural norms that can be identified to help in the understanding of Malaysian culture these are gift giving, naming, and holidays. In gift giving there are a lot of specifics that do not apply to American culture. You should never give someone a gift with white tissue paper because it is representative of death. When presenting someone with a gift you have to present it with your right hand unless it is too large to carry with both hands.

Both of these things are symbolic just like the wreaths on American doors at Christmas. In the naming culture Malaysia takes after Chinese tradition. A person is addressed by their surname in this tradition as with the Malaysian culture. This is respectful of the family and dates back to earlier patriarchal aspects of society. The last cultural norm that shines light upon what life is like in Malaysia are their holidays. In the Malaysian culture there is a holiday called Thaipusam where people meet in caves.

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For the Malaysian Independence Day children have to dress in a specific outfit to show their appreciation for the country that they were raised in and the freedoms that they have been allowed. During all festivals and holidays a policy called "open house" is practiced. In this practice you let anyone come into your home and greet you. The idea is that you disregard everyone's race and social status for a day so that all people are let into your house regardless of their background. The Malaysian cultural norms give us incite into how everyday life is lived.

In Malaysia there are a number of different languages spoken. The primary language that is spoken is Malay. Malay is very similar as a language to Indonesian as Italian is similar to Spanish. There are one hundred and thirty seven languages spoken in Malaysia. Three of these languages are taught as a part of the aforementioned primary education system. These three languages are Tamil, Malay and Mandarin Chinese. Each of these three languages had as at least ten unique dialects spoken in Malaysia. Add to that the fact that each village has its own vernacular and you get the one hundred and thirty seven total languages.

The outcome of this huge mesh of languages is difficulty with communication and a depleted sense of nationalism. The plethora of languages that are spoken in Malaysia is an affect of the many different settlers of Malaysia. For example, Tamil is a direct effect of Indian peoples settling in Malaysia. Mandarin Chinese and Creole are derived from Chinese settlers as well as settlers from the Philippines. Malay became the national language of Malaysia after the Race Riots of 1969 or the May 13th incident. During this event 600 or more Malaysians of Chinese origin were slaughtered due to racial violence. The institution of Malay as a national language was a direct part of the Rukunegara, a bill that was supposed to promote unity among Malaysian peoples.

Like the language of the people in Malaysia their values disunified the people as well. A person's values are based heavily on their religion. The three main religions in Malaysia are Islam at 47% of the population, Christianity at 23%, and Buddhist at 12%. Each of these religions enforces different values. The modge podge that is Malaysian culture makes it difficult to pinpoint specific shared values, however there is quite a bit of overlap between these three main religions. They all enforce selflessness of giving up something. The Christian church enforces a tithe and encourages you to give up 10% of your wealth. The Islamic church has 5 main principles. One of these principles is almsgiving. The idea of almsgiving is very similar to that of a tithe. In the Buddhist faith you are not supposed to have any material possessions. So the idea of simplicity is prominent for many Malaysians.

The ideologies of Malaysia are based a lot of their type of government. The Malaysian government is a Federal Representative Democratic Constitutional Monarchy. This is not only a mouthful, but it is also a very unique and complex governing system. It is similar to a democracy but has a king and a prime minister. The head of state and the head of government are two different people entirely. They have been under this system of governing since 1955. They have a multi-party system with a complex list of checks and balances. They also use an Electoral College system in their democracy. The ideologies of a country are based primarily on the way that their governing systems are run and the way that the people react to that.

As the religion and language is separated, so are the people. The babas and the nonyas are two social groups that compete in different small towns. These groups confine themselves primarily to specific areas of Malaysia. In larger cities you can see the influence of both groups though. For example in a larger city you might see and Indian influenced Mosque next to a Chinese influenced Buddhist temple and next to that might be a Indian Buddhist temple. The cultural groups are dispersed through territories.

Because of the prominence of Islam in Malaysian culture most women are required to dress modestly some even in a hijab. This is an example of how women are not treated equally to men. This is also a stereotype of Hindu culture which influences Malaysia. Women are not equal to men and that is a huge part of status. Most women do not work and many are still forced into marriage. The idea that women are not equal alludes to an male dominated job market. Additionally children are viewed as lesser than adults. This is the case in many societies but compulsory schooling leads to an extremely high literacy rate.

The Malaysian culture is such a melting pot that it doesn't fit well together. Lack of unity is a reason that Malaysia has not become a world power. In fact its abundance of natural resources would lead one to think that it could possibly have a strong navy and military but it does not. Malaysia lacks nationalistic values and does not promote itself as a world military power.

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