Communalism

Communalism stems from a state of mind in which the supreme loyalty of the individual is given not to the nation-state but to his particular racial or cultural group. For example, an Indian domiciled in Malaya' may regard himself as an Indian first and as a Malayan second; he may make the safe-guarding and improvement of his community's particular interests and privileges his aim, even at the expense of state unity. Communalism, in this sense, has a narrow, small group and parochial outlook. It is intolerant, suspicious and jealous of the other communal groups and has a spirit of exclusiveness. Pan-Malayan sentiment scarcely exists in it. Communalism has been, and still remains, the curse of Malayan politics. Inter-communal hatred was used by the British as an excuse for their go slow policy regarding the demands for self-government in pre-independent Malaya. The British maintained that the complete withdrawal of Britain would inevitably mean that the Malays and Chinese would be at one another's throats. Malaya today is independent and no throats have been slit. But the communal problem still remains unsolved. Malaya has a name and a government. An international treaty recognizes i's existence as a state and defines its territorial limits. But these do not make it a Malayan National State. Such a State is still a myth. There are few centripetal forces in the country to foster national cohesion. In contrast, the centrifugal forces are numerous and formidable, making territorial and political unification of the country difficult. Vast stretches of swamp, jungle and high mountain ranges cut off one population center from another. The federal constitutional structure of the country gives individual States too much power. Parochial rather than national loyalties are thereby fostered. This situation is aggravated by the deep-seated rivalry between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as to which of the two is better fitted for the role of Malayan capital. Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital but Singapore, though politically separated from the mainland, is still the economic heart of the country. But serious though they are, these divisive forces appear insignificant in comparison to the schisms among the people of Malaya. The people of Malaya are divided along communal lines. There has been no development of a common patriotism or a common willingness to make sacrifices for the good of all. Men are still Malays, Chinese or Indians and

Communalism · Political science · Politics · Primary (astronomy · Asian Studies and History · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · Law

• Pre-Service Teacher Education within the Framework of Inter-ethnic Relations

  Maheswari Kandasamy, Raman Santhiram•Paedagogica Historica•1998

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