The Center for International Studies hosted a seminar exploring “Contemporary Development in Malaysian Politics.”
Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, a distinguished professor of social anthropology from Malaysia, talked to Ohio University faculty and students Tuesday about the relationship between unity and diversity.
Speaking to a group of about 16 people in the Yamada International House, Shamsul hosted a seminar on “Contemporary Development in Malaysian Politics,” where he talked about his research.
Jayum Jawan, OU's Tun Abdul Razak Chair — a position selected by Malaysia’s Ministry of Education as part of OU’s relationship with the Malaysian government — said he asked Shamsul to come speak since he had already had a speaking engagement in Chicago.
“My task is to encourage the exchange of information between Malaysia and the U.S.,” Jawan said.
Shamsul, who is also the founding director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at the National University of Malaysia, spoke about the challenges of understanding Malaysian politics. One issue he highlighted was the need for long-term analysis in understanding Malaysia.
Shamsul said social media and the news often highlight the “negative” by focusing on conflict and sensationalism. He said long-term analysis allows for more perspective.
Shamsul explained his latest research, which identified three traits — positive, negative, and moderate — of diversity in Malaysia and their impacts.
“Without any theoretical guide, we keep shooting in the dark,” Shamsul said of his decision to use the three traits as a basis for his research.
Malaysia’s idea of unity in relation to diversity, he said, is based on integration, as opposed to places such as Indonesia, where it is based on assimilation.
“The idea of unity itself has diversity in the way it is implemented,” he said.
Shamsul said the idea of unity and diversity resonates with Malaysian politics given the various populations, such as the Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous populations.
Each trait, Shamsul said, is institutionalized within the governance structure.
For example, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture spends millions on festivals in their focus on positive traits of diversity, he said. The Prime Minister’s Office tracks economic differences and conflicts for crisis management while the Ministry of Education focuses on moderate traits.
“They have budgeted more on celebration,” Shamsul said.
The sources of data used in his research included surveys, town hall unity dialogues, non governmental organizations and annual reports from Malaysia’s Department of National Unity over the last 20 years.
The surveys asked people what they liked about Malaysia, what they disliked about Malaysia and their solutions to what they disliked.
The surveys indicated that people liked the absence of violent conflict, increased demand by the younger generation promoting unity. Negative traits included a segregated educational system and open verbalization of ethnic grievances, he said.
“My main purpose is to make sure Malaysian studies has an up-to-date perspective and a balanced perspective,” Shamsul said.
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