“Understanding of Multicultural Malaysia”, a talk given by Dr Asma Abdullah at Badan Warisan Malaysia.
 
Dr Abdullah was educated in Malaysia, Australia and the USA, so has a unique perspective from which to analyse cultural issues faced by expatriates moving to and living in Malaysia, as well as advising Malaysians prior to transferring overseas.
 
Dr Abdullah’s talk was interactive with many questions being raised by the highly engaged audience. Early on in the talk, the complex question of what is a “Malaysian” was discussed at some length and there was much discourse on the varying cultural characteristics of Malays, Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indians with distinct cultural characteristics of each group being observed. The picture became even more complex when Sabah and Sarawak were included, with the absence of Royalty there being noted as a key difference.
 
Dr Abdullah summarised cultural encounters as being “Delights, Puzzles and Irritations”, with the audience having a rich supply of anecdotes in each category. Malaysia being a “high context society”, the polychronic approach to time keeping stimulated lively discussion, with a number of attendees contrasting this markedly with their own cultural norms.
 
In examining the Malay population, Dr Abdullah referred to article 160 of the Malaysian Constitution, which defines a Malay as “someone who professes the Islamic religion, habitually speaks the Malay language and conforms to Malay customs”. It follows that those who leave Islam will automatically lose their privileges granted in the federal constitution of Malaysia. Hence “Malays” are constitutionally defined and politically constructed, which differentiates them from other Malay groups in neighbouring countries.
 
The themes of "Race, Religion, and Royalty” were central to Dr Abdullah’s analysis of Malaysian culture. She used the analogy of an iceberg to highlight that “visible” aspects of culture are supported by a complex web of social traditions which might not be readily recognised or understood by expatriates from very different cultures. She then examined the differences between the racial groupings in Malaysia, and gave very useful guidance on how to navigate what might be contextually appropriate for each grouping.
 
The theme of how best to convey “difficult messages” was analysed, with complexity arising from the fact that Malaysians, and especially Malays, are more typically “accommodating” rather than engaging in what might be considered as personal “conflict”. Matters are more complicated still if the conversation is to be with a senior or elder, to whom deference is normally shown.
 
The cultural curiosity and diversity of the attendees and considerable experience which Dr Abdullah brought to the discussion, ensured a rich and vibrant meeting which was still going strong when “the bell rang”. 
 
Michael Hancock