Chinese in Malaysia Book Review

7/31/2019 Chinese in Malaysia Book Review

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THE CHINESE IN MALAYSIA

Editors: Drs. Lee Kam Hing & Tan Chee Beng (OUP 2000)

Reviewed by Dr. Ng Kam Weng (Kairos Research Centre)

It is undeniable that the Chinese community contributed much towards the development of

Malaysia. There is, however, a lack of scholarly studies on the Chinese community as a

whole. In the absence of such documentation, it is tempting for some people to downplay

and even ignore the contribution of the early Chinese community which helped Malaysia

attain the status of a modern state. The need for Chinese scholars to present accurate

historical facts that demonstrate how the Chinese community contributed towards nation

building has become especially urgent. Such studies will also help contemporary Chinese

to appreciate afresh the exemplary virtues left by their forebears such as economic

prudence, perseverance and concern for communal welfare.

In this regard, the new publication from Oxford University Press, The Chinese In

Malaysia, should be viewed as a landmark in studies of Malaysian Chinese. For the first

time, we have a team of local Chinese scholars pooling their expertise to provide a

historically informed study which directly addresses issues confronting the Chinese

community in Malaysia. The study is unprecedented in its comprehensiveness. Issues

discussed in the fourteen chapters include demographic processes, Chinese business

community and politics, Chinese trade unionism, Chinese schools and cultural resilience,

Chinese New Villages, Chinese Religions, Chinese performing arts and literature.

One immediately notices a contrast between this study and earlier studies. For example, it

differs from studies undertaken by Westerners, like Victor Purcells Chinese in Malaya

(1948). Purcell, as an outsider, naturally viewed the Chinese community as an interesting

case study from the point of view of social anthropology. On the other hand, The Chinese

in Malaysia (OUP) provides a broad overview of the Chinese community, which also

makes it unlike the bookStepping Out(published in Singapore by K. B. Chan & Claire

Chiang) which provides in-depth portraits of Chinese entrepreneurs in Singapore.


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The approach adopted by Stepping Outaddresses the psychological need to reinforce the

confidence of Chinese entrepreneurs who have to face tough competition in a globalized

economy. But, surely, the more immediate task facing Malaysian Chinese is not to search

for local heroes. Rather, the task is to provide the average Chinese with a sense of

belonging to a community that has successfully weathered many difficult challenges in the

past. The Chinese in Malaysia begins on the right footing by highlighting the rich diversity

of Chinese immigrants as evidenced by different dialect groups and religious practices.

The early immigrants, after all, came from different parts of China. Surely, here lies the

clue towards understanding why social tolerance has been a strong feature of the Chinese

community in Malaysia.

The book helps us understand how it was possible for the Chinese to practise diversity

because they shared common bonds based on mutual economic interests. The difficult

circumstances pressing on early immigrants demanded economic co-operation. Such

alliances resulted in the formation of Chinese Associations and commercial guilds which

matured into Chambers of Commerce. More significantly, the Chinese community

continued the practise of economic partnership across ethnic divide, which became

necessary with the implementation of theNew Economic Policy (NEP). It should be noted

that the concerns voiced by Chinese businessmen were valid in instances where some

government officials implemented the NEP in ways which seemed unfair vis-a-vis the

economic welfare of Chinese citizens. Still, the continuing support given by Chinese

businessmen towards the NEP reflects their belief in the wise maxim, Prosper thy

neighbours. The Chinese contribution towards economic development of the nation as

such is most appropriately assessed in the profitable business relationships they build with

businessmen from other communities.

The book gathers ample statistics detailing the vital contributions made by the Chinese in

all sectors of the national economy, including areas such as agriculture, construction,

manufacturing and finance. These vigorous economic activities give the impression that

the Chinese community is one which is wholly urban. The book, at this point, offers us

some surprises. For example, the chapter on Chinese New Villages highlights the need to

go beyond a simplistic association of the Chinese with urban society. On the contrary,

large numbers of Chinese remain in rural small towns and new villages where they

engaged in cottage industries and agricultural small-holdings. As such, stories of rags-to-


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riches Chinese businessmen, however much they capture our imagination, should not lead

to neglect of Chinese villages. Indeed, the reality is that millions of poor Chinese continue

to be neglected by the government.

It is natural then, that the Chinese community feels compelled to look after its own

welfare. This self reliance was epitomized by the rise of Chinese schools which were

community projects, drawing mainly on local resources and involving local leaders and

organization. Reference is made to Yung Yuet Lings description of the early Chinese:

As migrants in a foreign land where they were treated as aliens, most Chinese were

anxious that their children should not lose their linguistic and cultural heritage. At the

same time, a traditional respect for education was further enhanced by a keen awareness

among Chinese immigrants that education was the only means by which their children

could be assured of better employment and a path to social mobility (p.236).

Nevertheless, it was not possible for the Chinese to pursue their education divorced from

the wider national educational system with its aim of fostering national unity and

promoting inter-racial harmony. In 1955, a compromise was reached between MCA and

UMNO, whereby UMNO leaders, led by Tunku Abdul Rahman, pledged that if elected

they would see to it that the Chinese were given a chance to preserve their school,

language and culture (p. 241). It is unfortunate that Chinese education sometimes

becomes a politically sensitive issue in Malaysian politics. Differences over Chinese

education will become more moderate if protagonists are able to place the issue of Chinese

education in its historical context by reading the informative chapter Chinese Schools in

Malaysia.

The historic compromise on Chinese schools exemplifies the cooperative relationship and

mutual respect then found between the Chinese MCA and Malay UMNO. What began as

an informal arrangement based on electoral convenience evolved into a lasting format of

multi-cultural co-operation. Lee Kam Hing and Heng Peck Koon in their joint chapter give

a clear and concise history of the changing fortunes of the Chinese share of political power

in Malaysia. However, the chapter may elicit dismay as the reader follows the account

depicting the continuing erosion of the status of the Chinese community both in politics

and economics, amidst resurgence of Islamic piety. It is obvious that the community must

overcome the Chinese Dilemmaof either accepting token power by supporting a weak


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and subservient MCA, or enduring painful exclusion from the power franchise by

supporting a confrontational DAP. The authors point to hopeful developments explored by

the younger generation of Chinese who have involved themselves in NGOs. They work

with like-minded social activists from other racial groups to alleviate social conditions for

the underprivileged. . . By expressing their concerns from a non-racial perspective, these

organizations have generally transcended narrow ethnic preoccupations (p. 221).

The chapters on performing arts and literature are most revealing. On the one hand,

diversity within the Chinese community ought to provide its literati with abundant

resources for artistic ventures. The chapters, however, only detail a continuing decline of

Chinese arts and literature. One can only empathize with such a toll exacted on a

community struggling to survive amidst adversity. Not surprisingly, there is little

grappling with the anxieties of a displaced community which can only be partially

alleviated by economic success. Such anxieties are aptly captured by a Chinese scholar

Leo Lee,

Deprived of his cultural heritage, the Wandering Chinese has become a spiritual exile;

Taiwan and the motherland are incommensurable. He has to move on. Like Ulysses, he

sets out on a journey across the ocean, but it is an endless journey, dark and without hope.

The Rootless Man, therefore, is destined to become a perpetual wanderer. . .The Chinese

Wanderer yearns for the lost kingdom, for the cultural inheritance that has been denied

him. . . .He is a sad man. He is sad because he has been driven out of Eden, dispossessed,

disinherited, a spiritual orphan, burdened with a memory that carries the weight of 5000

years.

One cannot help but sense the inadequacy of the chapter on religions which seems to focus

on external rituals and festivals. The chapter would have been more helpful if it goes

beyond a broad survey of religious institutions and set out the beliefs and sensibilities that

motivate Chinese religious practices. One is left wondering why the Chinese in Malaysia

continue to practice religion. Is it a mindless hanging on to the traditions of the elders?

What social psychological need may be met by these religions? Is the growth of

Christianity among Chinese indicative of new needs being met in the context of modern

society?


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The fact that such important questions are not addressed is symptomatic of the raison

detre of the book. As pointed out earlier, the Chinese community feels acutely the failure

among participants in public discourse to acknowledge the contribution of their

community to nation-building. Indeed, even the production of the book itself epitomizes

the cultural exclusion of the community. The production of the book took a ten-year

period because the project did not secure grants from the government. One of the editors

even had to use his own money to have the book indexed! How else does one respond to

this social-political exclusion except by stressing undeniable historical contributions as

well as renewing support for existing Chinese institutions? It is natural that less tangible

experiences related to social psychological identity and spiritual fulfillment are

inadvertently left out.

I must point to a furtherlacuna found in the book. There seems to be a lack of discussion

on the challenges which Modernity and globalization pose towards the Chinese

community. Perhaps the authors remain confined by past approaches to cultural identity

which was primarily defined by stressing how one is culturally distinct from ones

immediate neighbour. But the reality is that these cultural traditions are being swept aside

by the unrelenting forces of Modernity. It is conceivable that urban Chinese may come to

share more cultural interests with their Malay neighbours than with their rural

counterparts. Such an awareness should encourage Malaysians, whether Chinese or Malay,

to stress their commonalities rather than differences with one another.

Despite this criticism I judge the book to be the most comprehensive, and arguably, the

most competent study on the Chinese community in Malaysia to date. I personally would

have preferred a book comprising integrated and more absorbing historical narratives that

explore in greater depth the psychological and cultural anxieties facing Malaysian

Chinese. Still, anyone who wants to acquire a reliable framework in order to develop fuller

strategies on how to engage with issues facing the Chinese community can do no better

than to begin with this book.

Documents

Chinese in Malaysia Book Review