Malaya Political History - Research Paper Example

The Malay population, however, has been more involved in the cultivation of rice and has therefore contributed in a great way to the agricultural sector. They have formed a greater part of the rural population of Malaysia, a fact that has been tried to be altered by the Malaysian government through conscious social engineering, in an attempt to provide the Malays with more employment opportunities. 3. Since 1957 Malaysian politics has been governed by the politics of ethnicity. British colonial rule had encouraged large-scale Chinese and Indian immigration, which contributed to the social and economic deprivation of the Malays, the Muslim indigenous population.

The United Malays National Organization, the most important component of the BN coalition, has always stressed Malay development as its priority. However, because of the number and political importance of the minority groups, it has needed to govern in close collaboration with parties representing Chinese and Indian community interests. . 4. The policy of the Japanese government towards Islam in Malaysia was one that accorded respect to the freedom of the Malaysians to follow a religion of their own choice.

However, on the ground, they were unable to follow their own policy as a result of the intolerance and insensitivity that their soldiers practiced while they were expected to enforce the policy of tolerance towards religion. They continually engaged in the consumption of alcohol in mosques and other such activities on premises that were considered sacred by Muslims. This resulted in anger on the part of the Muslims towards the Japanese forces, who had in any case caused great damage to the economy and lifestyle of the Malaysians. 5. The United Malays National Organization is Malaysia's largest political party which has played an important role in Malaysian politics since independence.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Par is an Islamist political party in Malaysia and is currently headed by Dato' Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. In rural peninsular Malaysia, and particularly the relatively poor northeast, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia has been the primary opposition party since 1977 when it split from the BN. Though ostensibly non-racial, its main support base lies among Malays who would like to see Islamic values implanted more firmly in the constitution and daily life. Though it failed to make significant impact at the federal level until the 2008 elections, PAS has controlled the Kelantan state government since 1990, and the wider challenge that it poses has contributed to UMNO adopting an increasingly Islamist stance in order to appease the pro-Islam sections of the population. 6. UMNO is generally regarded as the "protector and champion Malay supremacy, which states that