Tag: History
History of Malaysia – Part 2
by Evelyn on May.16, 2010, under Malaysia, Miscellaneous
This article is a continuation from The History of Malaysia Part 1.
After several years of peace, Malaysia began the industrialization process in 1970. In these years, the rapid development in Malaysia has attracted the people from rural areas. It has also attracted migrants from other countries within Southeast Asia. These people have taken jobs and have filled up the cities, eventually creating slums which surround major cities, thus increasing urban poverty rates. Despite all this, Malaysia has become a safe and modern tourist destination in SE Asia.
In order to provide new opportunities for Malaysian graduates, the government established a number of stated-owned enterprises in oil and other heavy industries. These companies not only employ a lot of Malaysian, but also stimulate the economy and create new technology.
Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohammad was the prime minister from 1981 to 2003, when Malaysia had a “one party rules all” system. The general UMNO-dominated Barisan National had won almost all the seats, while the Democratic Action Party won seats in a small number in Chinese areas like Penang, and the Parti Islam Semalaysia won a small number in the rural areas of Kelantan and Terengganu. As the DAP and PAS’s charter was not complete, they were unable to form an opposition coalition.
This created protesting which was restricted by the Internal Security Act and served to strengthen Malaysia’s authoritarian political culture which peaked in 1997, when the Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was dismissed and arrested. Anwar’s arrest was seen as the beginning of democracy’s demise. Anwar’s wife Wan Aziza organized a new party in the attempt to unite the country and named it Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party). They then merged with DAP and PAS for the 1999 election and named themselves Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front). In the end, this served no purpose and the Islamic party took many seats from the UMNO.
For a long time, the system has created a huge gap in wealth and class, thus causing a confrontation between the different groups, and grievances have piled up deeply. In the 2008 election, voters were told they aren’t allowed to vote on the basis of race or religion in an attempt once again to unify the country. the outcome of the election was that BN lost two-thirds of the majority seats in the parliament and 5 states became under the control of the People’s Alliance. This reflects the Malaysian political outlook and the subtle change in the national ethnic identity.
After all that has happened to Malaysia, there are still several things they need to figure out, one of them being identity confusion. National implementation of the ‘Indigenous’ and ‘Non-Indigenous’ system keeps reminding us that we’re different, and this does nothing good for us. I hope in the future we can overcome our political and cultural differences and finally live in peace.
History of Malaysia Part 1
by Evelyn on Mar.01, 2010, under Malaysia
What was once the site of early human habitation is now known as the country of Malaysia. Humans began arriving at the Niah Cave in Sarawak around fifty thousand years ago. Already on the peninsula, the aboriginals had lived peacefully in the inland mountain area for a long time when the Malays arrived.
The Proto-Malayans were seafarers and farmers, and migrated to the peninsula from China around 2500 B.C. Their arrival scared off the aboriginals, who headed into the hills and jungles. Soon after, another group of people took over, called the Deutero-Malays – a combination of Indians, Chinese, Siamese, Arabs, Indonesians and Proto-Malays – and formed the racial basis of the group we call the Malay.
In the early period A.D., the Funan Kingdom of Cambodia expanded its borders into the Malay peninsula. In the seventh century, the Sumatra Sri Vijaya dynasty rose to power to become the largest dynasty. They lasted for 600 years until the second half of the thirteenth century, when the peninsula was conquered by Majapahit. The demise of Sri Vijaya divided the land into many small Sultanates, the most important being the Malacca Sultanate.
Paramesmara, the prince of Sri Vijaya escaped from Palembang and fled to Temasek (modern day Singapore). After the assassination of the local ruler, he fled to the north to find a settlement. Records say he experienced an auspicious sight en route to the north, and established the settlement on that spot. It became known as Malacca in 1403. In 1414, he converted to Islam.
As a result of Paramesmara’s decision to settle on the peninsula, he gained access to sea ports, and a great trading route that put Malacca in between the Middle East, Southeast Pacific, and China. Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty visited Malacca during his travels, and later the Ming Emperor married off Hang Li Po to the Sultan (there are rumors surrounding the true identity of Hang Li Po).
Western powers arrived by the sixteenth century: The Portuguese destroyed the Malacca Kingdom in 1511, and ruled it until 1641, when the Dutch defeated them and took over. The British took over in the eighteenth century, and absorbed Penang and Singapore. The Pangkor Treaty was signed between the British and Malay Sultan, thus absorbing more territory from the Malacca Strait.
Through the Resident System, the British progressively controlled the Malay Peninsula and Singapore by installing a British citizen as the local ruler. After one of the Residents was assassinated, they exiled the Sultan and put another Resident in place, who proved to be a much better ruler.
In order to develop tin mines and rubber estates, they brought in large numbers of laborers from China and India, hence forming the current day melting pot of culture.
In 1942, Japan invaded Malaya and took control for the next three years and eight months until it’s unconditional surrender to the Allies. In 1948, the British colonial government declared a state of emergency to deal with the Communist Party of Malaya.
Look for part 2 soon!
Climbing the Story Bridge
by Sean on Feb.15, 2010, under Australia
Bridge at Night
After we stop at street level, we begin to climb 30 feet, 60 feet in the air. It is a clear night and we can see the surrounding areas of the city with great detail. We are asked to stop and take pictures (which they will then try to sell to us later). 200 or so odd workers worked night and day for 5 years to get this bridge open for public use. When they weren’t working, they were at the local pub at the base of the bridge.
On the Bridge
We reach the bridge’s highest part, which is 80m or 240ft from the ground. Looking down is not a pretty sight, but screaming at the passersby proves fun. From here we walk down to the middle of the bridge and across. As we do so, our guide tells us that in 5 years of construction, only 4 deaths occurred. One man fell into the water and drowned, another fell onto the land, a third was hit by a tram on his way home from work and is counted as an on the job death, and I forgot what happened to the last person.
As we begin our ascent back to the top so we can return home, I feel nostalgic. I am reminded of home (minus the river cutting through the city and the bridge on top) and my family, and how much I miss them. I am grateful for the chance to experience Australia, a country so far away from Florida. With a renewed sense of pride and happiness, I climb on. The guide mentions that the bridge committee originally planned to knock down an entire street and move it over so the bridge could be built, however at the end of the bridge was a pub that the locals loved. So much in fact that they convinced the architect to instead move the bridge over so the pub could remain intact. In the end, the pub renamed itself after the bridge.
Certificate
We climb the rest of the way, descending back down the stairs via the tunnel going through the street level. We find out the bridge is named after a local man named John Douglas Story, who was a senior public servant responsible for garnering interest to build the bridge. After we took off the safety gear, I ran off to that pub to try their food, where I met up with one of the couples who went on the bridge climb with me. They invited me to sit with them and we chatted whilst I ate an amazing calzone.
If you wish to do this, you can contact the Story Bridge Adventure Climb website. You pay $89 either by credit card or cash upon arrival. They are located in Brisbane city at 170 Main St. in the Kangaroo Point area.
Photo of the Day 6/26
by Sean on Jun.27, 2009, under Israel, Photos
'Little Rome' in Beit Guvrin, Israel
Standing atop this tall hill gives one the impression of greatness. It feels as if the person who ruled over this Roman city would have lived here. You can see the entire city and everything that’s going on, and you don’t even have to leave your house.
This city was built thousands of years ago, but still employed very progressive ideas. There was an ampitheater for pleasure and a public bathroom with a good waste management system in place! When I got down on my knees to inspect the millenia-old bathrooms, my brother simulated how a person would use the bathroom, however he did it directly over me, causing everyone in our tour group to laugh.
Ottoman Empire
by Sean on Mar.10, 2008, under Turkey
The first ruler of the Ottoman Empire was Osman I, who was given land for his role in the defeat of an army that opposed the Seljuk Sultan. When the Sultan died in 1281, Osman became the chief of all his land, and by 1299 had declared himself the formal ruler of the Seljuk Empire. He made vast reforms that quickly yielded results in the form of extended borders and new people to rule over.
An attack worth noting is the surprise attack on Constantinople in 1453. This attack gave the Ottoman Turks access to Southeastern Europe (allowing them to later on conquer Serbia, Greece, and Austria-Hungary). But this empire wasn’t perfectly in control for the almost 700 years it existed. Many times over formerly-sovereign nations revolted against the Ottoman Turks. The Battles of Lepanto and Vienna proved disastrous and ended their reign in those areas.
At its height (16th-17th century), the Ottoman Empire spanned three continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia (Middle East). As the empire declined in its influence over those conquered, it attempted to make vast reforms and attempted modernization. One of the most significant ideas that entered the empire was from the Western world: nationalism. This single idea caused the end of the Ottoman Empire because countries began declaring independence at an alarming rate. Mostly their independence came as the result of a military victory against the empire.
The Ottoman Empire officially ended in 1922 at the end of the first World War and due to the nationalist movement in Turkey that ultimately led to the Republic of Turkey.
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