Malaysia
Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays, Chinese and Indians living side by side. The Malays are the largest community. They are Muslims, speak Bahasa and are largely responsible for the political fortunes of the country. The Chinese comprise about a third of the population. They are Buddhists and Taoists, speak Hokkein, Hakka and Cantonese, and are dominant in the business community. The Indians account for about 10 percent of the population. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, they speak Tamil, Malayalam, and some Hindi, and live mainly in the larger towns on the west coast of the peninsula. There is also a sizeable Sikh community. Eurasians and indigenous tribes make up the remaining population. Despite Bahasa Malaysia being the official language, when members of these different communities talk to each other, they generally speak English, which was recently reinstated as the language of instruction in tertiary education.
The main indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number 395, 000. They are largely longhouse dwellers and live along the Rejang and Baram rivers. The Bidayuh(107, 000) are concentrated on Sarawak’s Skrang River. The Orang Asli(80, 000) live in small scattered groups in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic agriculturalists, many have been absorbed into modern Malaysia.
I spent one week in Kuala lumpur and a week in Penag and those two weeks has been the most wonderful time in my life.
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