ABSTRACT

Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society has been characterised as possessing contending visions of national identity based on Malay hegemony (assimilation-based national identity) and equality (multiculturalism-based national identity). In the process of nation-building, the real challenge is to explore and establish a middle ground between these visions, which would contribute to the construction of a cohesive society. The government has experimented with various ways of seeking a middle ground. In particular, language and education have been recognised as key areas. Language is one of the strongest markers of ethnic identity, while educational institutions using vernacular languages as a medium of instruction are a bastion for preserving ethnic identity. Language and education policies are manifestations of the government’s management of ethnic identity and the contending visions of national identity. Chapter 1, Introduction, presents the book’s major question: to what extent have language and education policies contributed to the development of national integration? This examination is mainly conducted by considering whether and how policies have succeeded in forming a middle ground. The degree of success is considered from the aspects of policy-making structure and the substantial achievement of policies during the Barisan Nasional regime (previous government, 1957–2018).