8.1   The Development of Multiracial Society in the Country

Presentation

For your information, before the era of colonization up to the early of (19th Century), the Malays constituted 90% of the population in Malaysia and Singapore. There were Chinese who had come as traders and Indians labourers who worked in coffee and sugarcane plantations but their number was very small. However, in the middle of 19th Century, when the British colonized the country, the country had witnessed a huge immigration of Chinese and Indians to the country. This was due to the British government policy of bringing them to work in the economic sector especially in tin mining activities and estates. The immigration of those races continued till the outbreak of World War II. The huge immigration of those races had created a multiracial society and created various lifestyles. It also changed the original population structure in the country. The 'divide and rule' policy of the British had caused the identification of races based on economic function. Under the policy, the races were separated into separate location. The Chinese were located in town and involved in trade and tin mines, the Malays were located in rural areas and became farmers, while the Indians were located in estates and worked as labour. The policy had caused a decline of the Malays participation in the main economic activities.