Tag: Malaysia
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.
Photo of the Week – Malaysian Sunset
by Sean on Mar.18, 2010, under Malaysia, Photos
Malaysian sunset
You’re en route from the center of a beautiful modern city to the outskirts almost 150km outside of town. You’ve spent the entire day running around trying to experience as much as you can, because tomorrow you’ll be on a plane to Australia. As the sun descends in the sky and is replaced by its sister Moon, you feel strangely happy being in this foreign land. You can’t remember the last time you enjoyed the heat coming off the surface of the sun and gently baking your skin at a nice temperature of 88F, just enough to make you a light brown but not enough to bake you all the way. It’s a great introduction to the following month you’ve been waiting to happen for almost a year.
The bus gently rolls along the highway as you pass suburban homes that remind you of your own home so far away. You long to return to the arms of your family and friends, but know it’s just a distant dream. You realize this is the best you have and enjoy it all you can before you return to the monotony of the daily grind. It is with this enjoyment of travel that keeps you going, and with it your eyes close to the gentle hum of the wheels along the road.
Johor Bahru
by Sean on Jan.29, 2010, under Malaysia
When I arrived in Johor Bahru, I was picked up by my friend Evelyn, who went 30 minutes out of her way to help me out when we’d never met in person before! I was whisked back to her house and given a nice bed to sleep on. After all that traveling I was exhausted and needed the rest. In the morning when I woke up, I was treated to laksa, a beautifully spicy and aromatic Malaysian dish. Once breakfast was over, class began. Here is what I learned:
Before Malaya came together to form the country of Malaysia, each “state” had it’s own Sultan. The word Sultan (سلطان) is an Islamic title given to people, which comes from the word سلطة sulṭah, meaning “authority.” Later, it came to be used as the title of certain Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms. Many Sultans abused their rights, but not the Sultan of Johor Bahru. Once Malaysia gained independence and embraced democracy, the Sultans lost most of their power but kept the name and wealth, and continued to live amongst the people.
Singapore Strait
I went to the Sultan’s residence to see how he lived. To show he was a man of the people, he opened his estate to the public during the day so they could relax, jog, and view the beautiful scenery. His estate is situated on a hill above the Singapore Strait, which separates Malaysia and Singapore and provides for a somewhat romantic break from the day-to-day stress of life. Interestingly enough, he has several very old cars rusting away in the back of the residence, as well as an ostrich and several other animals for which I don’t know the names.
As I began writing this post after I returned to China, Evelyn informed me that the Sultan of JB had passed away, and the entire nation was grieving. What I found quite interesting was this passage from an article on the internet:
During the mourning period you are required to wear a 3″ black band on your left arm. There is no specific rule or law stating you need to comply with this, but you could be hassled by the police if you do not do so since it shows a lack of respect for the late Sultan. This applies to both Malays and non-Malays, and should especially be adhered to if you enter public and government buildings. There have already been reports of fines up to RM$2000 for several shop owners not wearing the black arm band.
Sultan's Domain
Just as a side note, RM$2000 is about $600 USD and most people don’t even make that much each month in Malaysia. Continuing on, I found that even though Sultans in the Middle East are associated with absolute power and rule, this Sultan caused the “Gomez Incident,” which involved passing a bill which allowed rulers who violated Malaysian law to be prosecuted. Furthermore, he amended the Sedition Act of 1948 to allow public criticism of the rulers. Quite a few crazy events in his lifetime, but I have to admit I’m impressed with his style. RIP Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail.
Despite my brief two day stint in southern Malaysia, it was a great learning experience I’m glad I can look back on and appreciate. If you ever get the travel bug and want to explore this area or possibly even Singapore or Indonesia, let me know and I can put you in contact with my friend Evelyn.
Australia Trip Summary
by Sean on Jan.11, 2010, under Australia, China, Malaysia
At the time this summary was published, the conversion rates were as follows:
Chinese RMB to USD 6.85
Malaysian RM to USD 3.43
Australian AUD to USD 1.14
China (1 day in transit)
Transportation = 62rmb ($9)
Food = 127rmb ($18.50)
Misc = 30 ($4.30)
—————————————-
Total = 219rmb ($32)
Malaysia (4 days)
Transportation = RM22 ($6.39)
Food = RM189.90 ($55.44)
Misc = RM77 ($22.48)
————————————————
Total = RM288.90 ($84.35)
Singapore (4 hours)
Food = 7.90 ($5.53)
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Total = 7.90 ($5.53)
Australia (20 days)
Food = $253.53
Transportation = $111.9
Gifts = $192.55
Amenities = $51
Entertainment = $425.5
———————————————–
Total = $1034.48
Total Spent = $1151.01 not including flights (altogether flights were about another $300)
In the Land Down Under
by Sean on Dec.18, 2009, under Daily Life
After almost a year of waiting, I’m finally in Brisbane, Australia! It all began with an idea: my mates wanted to go home for Christmas and invited me along, so what am I to say other than “HELL YES!” I knew I’d never get another chance like this to live with an Aussie family and see how they really live. As well, I knew I could save an amazing amount of money by not staying in a hotel for $100 every night. In January 2009, we bought our first flights online with AirAsia because they were having a special in which they gave away 500,000 free seats and you only had to pay for the tax. As a result, my ticket from Malaysia (which is where AirAsia is located) to Australia cost only $100!!!
As the months creeped by, I became ever more happier and excited for the trip. It wasn’t just the idea of seeing a new country, it was also that I hadn’t been outside of China since I got back from Thailand in September 2008. It was my chance to reconnect with the closest semblance of my own culture. I had so much time to think about the trip it made me crazy. I had to plan other trips before this one to help get my mind off how far away it was from the time we purchased the tickets.
When I got my new job in Hankou (on the other side of the river), I decided to take my salary from work and put it straight in the bank so I could afford to go on the trip. I earned 5000rmb (~$900) a month, but I knew I only needed about $1500 for my trip, so I knew I’d have enough money to buy a nice Canon SLR. In all of our previous trips together, I always relied on them to take good pictures because my Fujifilm was a terrible camera. I wanted to take responsibility and take pictures for myself instead of relying on others, and so right before I came to Australia I bought a camera for 4600rmb (almost a month’s salary!).
During autumn I had a fight with Matt, and he threatened to abandon me at the airport. I wasn’t worried about it because there was still so much time before we went and I knew he’d forget about it. Matt is very quick to pick on me and joke, but I’ve realized that’s what Aussies do when they are being friendly. Odd, I know.
As it came time to leave for Australia, I was so pumped. This was my chance to escape the cold, bleak winter in Wuhan and go back to the beautiful summer that reminds me like home.
The day arrived, and I woke up early and it was freezing cold and raining. I took a taxi to the station where the bus would take me to the airport. After getting to the airport I met up with Nick and Fey and we moved to the terminal, where Matt was waiting for us. After an hour and a half, we arrived in Guangzhou, our first connection. Guangzhou was raining and cold like Wuhan, but not as bad. After an 8 hour layover spent inside the city, we happily scampered back to the airport for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Unfortunately with budget airlines, things don’t always go as planned. Thankfully the only problem was that our flight was delayed from 8:45pm to 9:30pm. Four hours later and we were in Malaysia. We checked into the beautiful hotel built by the same man who built the airport and owns AirAsia (he’s brilliant). In the morning we took a bus into town and got some Chinese Malay food. After checking out the clothing market and buying a red shirt (If only I’d known how hot it was in Australia, I would have gotten a white shirt instead), we hopped over to the monorail and checked out the mall. We knew we’d have 2 days in Kuala Lumpur on the way back, so we just walked around enjoying ourselves and eating. Before heading back to the airport, we stopped for Indian food. We had Chicken tandoori, garlic naan bread, and curry.
Time having flown by so quickly, we rushed back to the airport for our final flight: Gold Coast, Australia. I was extremely lucky to have no one sitting in the 2 seats to my right, so as soon as the seat belt sign was turned off, I laid down and went to sleep after having a nice codeine to put me down for the night. At one point in the middle of the night we had some turbulence and so I woke up and sat up, only to fall asleep again within a few minutes. When I woke, there was a Chinese woman sleeping sitting up in the row of seats I had previously conquered, so I was quite upset because I wanted to lay back down. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get up, but I refrained.
When we arrived in Australia, the sky was amazing and it air was clean. To continue reading about my arrival in Australia, go over to my Australia page.
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