The race riots in 1964 and 1969 were momentous events in the history of Malaysia. The ‘nation-state’ refers to ‘a territorial-political unit whose borders coincided with the territorial distribution of a national group’ with a common cultural entity. The ‘nation-state’ consists of both the notion of statehood, and nationhood. The ‘territory’, as well as ‘institutions’ form the two core components of statehood. On the other hand, nationhood refers to ‘a historical community, more or less institutionally complete, occupying a given territory or homeland, sharing a distinct language and culture’. In the case of Malaysia today, the nation is commonly known as bangsa, with close links to the Malay race. This essay will examine the importance
…show more content…
The race riots were important in the making of the Malaysian nation-state as the 1964 race riots permanently defined Malaysia’s statehood based on Singapore’s exclusion from its territorial boundaries and its governmental system, and the 1969 race riots defined Malaysia’s Malay-oriented nationhood. While some detractors may argue that other events such as PAP’s participation in the 1964 Federal elections were more important in contributing to the exclusion of Singapore from Malaysia’s statehood, and that Malaysia’s Malay-oriented nationhood had existed even before the 1969 race riots, this essay will attempt to counter these arguments and show how the race riots remained fundamentally important in the making of the Malaysian …show more content…
On 16 September 1963, Singapore, along with Sabah and Sarawak, joined Malaya to form the new Federation of Malaysia. Singapore was allocated 15 seats in the Federal parliament. However, such an arrangement proved to be temporary. On 21 July 1964, Muslim individuals that numbered in the tens of thousands had assembled at the Padang to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed. The event soon turned into an eruption of communal violence between Malay and Chinese individuals, with 220 incidents being reported, 178 persons having been injured and 4 having been killed by midnight. A second riot occurred on 2 September 1964, where the unwarranted killing of a Malay trishaw rider triggered violent reactions from the Malays, leading to numerous cases of assaults, stabbing and attempted arson. In response to the communal violence, the Tunku apparently warned Mr Lee Kuan Yew that Singapore ‘could be expelled from Malaysia if trouble continued’. The 1964 racial riots was a key example in showing how the activities of the PAP, which was perceived as a form of ‘assertiveness on the part of Malaya’s non-Malays’ and motivated a defensive response from the Malays, could seriously damage the inter-ethnic harmony and peace in Malaysia. The riots
The race riots were important in the making of the Malaysian nation-state as the 1964 race riots permanently defined Malaysia’s statehood based on Singapore’s exclusion from its territorial boundaries and its governmental system, and the 1969 race riots defined Malaysia’s Malay-oriented nationhood. While some detractors may argue that other events such as PAP’s participation in the 1964 Federal elections were more important in contributing to the exclusion of Singapore from Malaysia’s statehood, and that Malaysia’s Malay-oriented nationhood had existed even before the 1969 race riots, this essay will attempt to counter these arguments and show how the race riots remained fundamentally important in the making of the Malaysian …show more content…
On 16 September 1963, Singapore, along with Sabah and Sarawak, joined Malaya to form the new Federation of Malaysia. Singapore was allocated 15 seats in the Federal parliament. However, such an arrangement proved to be temporary. On 21 July 1964, Muslim individuals that numbered in the tens of thousands had assembled at the Padang to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed. The event soon turned into an eruption of communal violence between Malay and Chinese individuals, with 220 incidents being reported, 178 persons having been injured and 4 having been killed by midnight. A second riot occurred on 2 September 1964, where the unwarranted killing of a Malay trishaw rider triggered violent reactions from the Malays, leading to numerous cases of assaults, stabbing and attempted arson. In response to the communal violence, the Tunku apparently warned Mr Lee Kuan Yew that Singapore ‘could be expelled from Malaysia if trouble continued’. The 1964 racial riots was a key example in showing how the activities of the PAP, which was perceived as a form of ‘assertiveness on the part of Malaya’s non-Malays’ and motivated a defensive response from the Malays, could seriously damage the inter-ethnic harmony and peace in Malaysia. The riots