UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Modern Malaysia has a cohesive national identity built from a patchwork of ethnically and religiously diverse populations. But this was not always so. The Federation of Malaya was governed on the basis of a power-sharing arrangement, essentially the formula that had earned ‘Merdeka' (see ‘The Alliance formula'). For a time, the situation appeared stable; the nation looked to the future with confidence. The communist insurgency was in decline. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra declared he was ‘the happiest Prime Minister in the world'.
However, with the expansion of the federation to form Malaysia came factors which made the situation more complex, and the formula came under threat. Socio-economic development did not proceed at an equal pace among all the ethnic groups—among the Malays, it was relatively slow. Furthermore, non-Malays clamoured for a greater share of political power. Increasing racial tension was a factor in Singapore's exit from Malaysia, but even after this dramatic event, the underlying issues remained.
The tensions culminated in the tragic events of 1969 (see ‘The 13 May 1969 tragedy'). This episode proved to be a watershed in Malaysian politics. Parliament was suspended and a council was established to take total control of the nation. The Constitution was amended to include safeguards against future unrest. Affirmative action policies were instituted to address socio-economic imbalances (see ‘The National Operations Council' and ‘Economic policies'). Malaysia's political landscape, formerly characterized by inter-racial bargaining and compromise, became one where the Malays, specifically through UMNO, clearly became the politically dominant players.
However, in the wake of the events of 13 May 1969, the Alliance coalition was expanded to include a number of former opposition parties. Divisive issues were addressed within the system rather than through public confrontation.
Power-sharing remains a key feature of this coalition today: every major ethnic group is represented in the Cabinet. This formula for managing ethnic diversity has been largely successful. Malaysia has enjoyed peace and harmony for over 47 years since the federation's inception, first under the Alliance and since 1973 under a Barisan Nasional government.
The Federal Government has also had to manage territorial diversity, especially in its relationship with Sabah and Sarawak. These states have special provisions within the Federation, as compared with the Peninsular states (see ‘The idea of Malaysia' and ‘Federal-state relations'), and a cultural and ethnic composition that differs from that of the Peninsula.
The Barisan Nasional coalition formula in Malaysia differs from that in other countries as the number of Cabinet seats to be given to major political parties is more or less decided in advance, whereas in other countries it is often based on a scramble for seats after the election results are declared.
