LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Ethnic Relations and the Media -
A Study of the Malaysian Situation

Lokasundari Vijaya Sankar, Ph.D.

Abstract

This paper examines ethnic relations in multi racial Malaysia. Since independence from Great Britain in 1957, it is a well acknowledged fact that Malaysia has maintained a relatively long record of political stability and minimum experiences of ethnic unrest. However, it is hypothesized that beneath the surface of stability and a model multi racial bonhomie, tensions have existed because in October and November 2007, organized street demonstrations erupted in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

Malaysians have been subject to a number of laws since independence that restrict freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom to gather freely. This study further hypothesizes that the outcome of the 12th Malaysian elections held on 8 March 2008 shows that the Malaysian citizenry is now ready for a government that respects them and nurtures them rather than one that imposes fear through a set of draconian laws that have the power to jail without trial.

This study analyses relevant media articles (from December 2007 to April 2008) that touched on ethnic relations in order to examine the state of ethnic relations in Malaysia. For this paper a semantic analysis of the content of media articles was carried out to examine the rhetoric of politicians when handling ethnic relations. The study also looks at how the media itself handles issues relating to the various races living in Malaysia.

Findings from the analysis of newspaper articles show that there are underlying tensions among the various ethnic groups. The reasons for such tensions are discussed in the paper.

Keywords: discourse analysis, ethnic relations, content analysis

1.0 Introduction

This paper examines ethnic relations in multi racial Malaysia. Since independence from Great Britain in 1957, it is a well acknowledged fact that 'Malaysia has maintained a relatively long record of political stability and minimum experiences of ethnic unrest' (Mohammed, 2005:2). Brown (2004) further goes on to say that Malaysia is widely accepted as a country which has been uniquely successful in managing and containing ethnic conflict in a post-colonial context against expectations. In comparing the records of Malaysia and Ceylon/Sri Lanka, for instance, Horowitz (1989), further claims that in the post-colonial era, expectations were that countries such as Sri Lanka would remain peaceful, whilst Malaysia will not be so. History has proven that the reverse is true.

However, it is hypothesized that beneath the surface of stability and a model multi racial bonhomie, tensions have existed because in October and November 2007, organized street demonstrations erupted in Kuala Lumpur. These demonstrations called the BERSIH (meaning clean in Malay) and HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) rallies demolished the frequently touted happy multi-racial Malaysian Dream State. This study further hypothesizes that the outcome of the 12th Malaysian elections held on 8 March 2008 shows that the Malaysian citizenry is now ready for a government that respects them and nurtures them rather than one that imposes fear through a set of draconian laws that have the power to jail without trial.

The type of democracy adopted in Malaysia since independence, while modeled along western liberal ideas which enshrine basic freedoms of speech, religion, assembly etc., also engages a range of repressive machinery that is at odds with democratic ideals so much so that few if any observers would describe the country as a fully functioning democracy (Brown, Siti and Wan Muda, 2004). Several problematic areas exist which hinder the democratic process. These include, other than the repressive legislation mentioned above, the control of the Judiciary by the Executive, amendments to the constitution by a government that has consistently held a two thirds majority in parliament as and when it sees fit, status of Islam as official religion, special rights and privileges of Malays and citizenship rights of the non-Malays.

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