History of Malaysia’s Ethnic Divide 

Malaysia is a country where most if not all the social, economic and political decision-

making process is run under the light of ‘ethnic arithmetic.’ In their daily lives,

Malaysians is actively aware of their ethnic background regardless of where they are in

the country. This ethnic lens is not a current phenomenon but one that has been

touched and shaped by history.

Before being colonized by the British, Malaysian society was largely homogenous in

nature. Over 90% of the peninsular population constituted of the Malays. Exponential

change only happened after the colonization (1874-1957) when Indians and Chinese

populace was brough into the country turning it into a multi-ethnic country. These tri-

ethnicities struggled to find commonalities one of the biggest divides was language. To

add to that each group had different religions, systems and traditions. Malays continued

to take up a major share of the overall population, followed by the Chinese and then the

Indians.

From an economic standpoint the British had also initiated a code of professions related

to each of these groups. The Malays led with agriculture while the Chinese took care of

the commercial aspects and the Indians owning the plantation work. This ensured that

each ethnic group received different wages and hence quality of life. Their differences

were exacerbated by the difference in their socio-economic status, leaving no room for

any harmony. Consequently political acclimatization to the division resulted in ethnic

disparity becoming engrained within the political workings of Malaysia to this day.
Present Day Malaysia 

Devika 

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