If you're beginning to get the idea that eating drives the daily routine, then you're absolutely right. Every snacking opportunity is taken, right up to late-night supper with your mates at the local mamak (Indian Muslim food stall). And, if your average KLite is savvy, they'll hang on in the city until well after rush hour before attempting the commute home – especially if the heavens have opened, bringing traffic on the federal highways to a frustrating crawl.
'The Chinese do the work, the Malays take the credit, and the Indians get the blame.' A line from Huzir Sulaiman's satirical play Atomic Jaya sums up a commonly held belief among KLites.
Work
The most important change in the social structure of Malaysia (and by extension KL) has been the rise of the Malay community since independence. Following the riots of 1969, the New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced. This program of positive discrimination was designed to bring marginalised Malays and Orang Asli – known collectively as bumiputra – into the political and economic mainstream. Although not wholly successful, after 40 years the result in KL is that the vast majority of government and government-affiliated jobs are held by Malays, who make up most of the police force, army, civil service and parliament.
With ambitious and talented Chinese and Indian Malaysians shut out of the best public-sector roles, these communities have tended to thrive in the private sector, in particular retail and property development. As it's the nation's capital, there's almost every other type of economic activity in KL, barring major heavy industry (which can still be found nearby in the Klang Valley). Finance, banking – KL is a major hub for Islamic financing – and the oil and gas business are all key, alongside tourism, education and healthcare.
Many of the people you'll encounter in KL don't actually live here: of the Greater KL/Klang Valley population of around six million, only 1.6 million live within the city boundaries; the rest are residents of satellite cities such as Petaling Jaya (PJ).
Home Life
One of the most remarkable aspects of KL is the diversity of living areas that are crammed into its 243 sq km. The old heart of the city around Chinatown and Masjid Jamek is compact and relatively low-rise compared to the condominium tower blocks springing up across Bukit Bintang and around the KLCC mall. Further out of the centre are the affluent residential areas of Ampang, Bangsar, Damansara Heights, Mont Kiara and Sri Hartamas. Less-wealthy KLites might live in outlying areas such as Cheras or Setapak. There are even typical Malay kampung (villages) within the city limits, such as Sungai Penchala.
KL has the country’s most expensive housing, with average house prices of more than RM700,000. The cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in central KL is around RM2000 a month. With average monthly salaries around RM3000, it's easy to see why many young people have little choice but to remain living at home with their parents or to spend long hours commuting from more affordable areas in the Klang Valley.
One of the aims of the federal government's Economic Transformation Programme is to have KL rank among the top 20 cities in the world in terms of economic growth and liveability by 2020.
Play
Eating out is the much-loved local pastime. Bar culture certainly exists, but Islam also means that an average KLite's night out on the town is as likely to be spent in a cafe nursing a bubble tea or cappuccino as quaffing beers and cocktails.
KL malls are popular one-stop destinations not just for their dining and shopping possibilities but also for leisure activities such as bowling, cinema-going, browsing art exhibitions, ice skating and even rock climbing.
For a weekend break, locals are likely to hop in their cars for a trip to the family kampung (village), Melaka or Ipoh for the food, or Port Dickson on the coast of Negeri Sembilan for the beach. Cheap flights with the likes of AirAsia and other budget carriers mean a quick trip to Penang or Singapore – other major foodie destinations – could also be on the agenda.
Talking the Talk
As a federation of former British colonies, Malaysia is a fantastic country to visit for English speakers, but linguists will be pleased to tackle the region’s multitude of other languages. Malaysia’s national language is Bahasa Malaysia. This is often a cause of confusion for travellers, who logically give a literal translation to the two words and refer to the ‘Malaysian language’. In fact you cannot speak ‘Malaysian’; the language is Malay.
Other languages commonly spoken in the region include Tamil, Hokkien, Cantonese and Mandarin, but there are also Chinese dialects, various other Indian and Orang Asli languages and even, in Melaka, a form of 16th-century Portuguese known as Kristang. All Malaysians speak Malay, and many are fluent in at least two other languages.
Even if you stick to English, you'll have to get used to the local patois – Manglish – which includes plenty of Mandarin, Cantonese and Tamil words and phrases. Many words are used solely to add emphasis and have no formal meaning, which can make things a little confusing. Used incorrectly, Manglish can come across as quite rude, so listen carefully and take local advice before trying it out in polite company. To get you started, here are a few of the most common Manglish words and expressions:
Ah Suffix used for questions, eg 'Why late, ah?'
Got Used for all tenses of the verb 'to have' or in place of 'there is/are' eg 'Got money, ah?' and 'Got noodles in the soup.'
Lah Very common suffix used to affirm statements, eg 'Don't be stupid lah!'
Le Used to soften orders, eg 'Give le.'
Liao Used similarly to 'already', eg 'Finished liao.'
Lor Used for explanations, eg 'Just is lor.'
Meh An expression of skepticism, eg 'Really meh.'
One Adds emphasis to the end of a sentence, eg 'That car so fast one.'
Ready Another form of 'already', eg 'No thanks, eat ready.'
Multiculturalism, Religion & Culture
Since the interracial riots of 1969, when distrust between the Malays and Chinese peaked, Malaysia has forged a more tolerant multicultural society. Though ethnic loyalties remain strong, the emergence of a single ‘Malaysian’ identity is now a much-discussed and lauded concept, even if it is far from being actually realised. Religious and ethnic tensions are a fact of life, particularly in KL, where the different communities coexist rather than mingle. Intermarriage is rare and education is still largely split along ethnic lines.
The Ethnic Mix
There are distinct cultural differences between Malaysia's three main ethnic communities – Malays, Chinese and Indians. There are also the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) and other mixed-race communities to take into account, alongside older aboriginal nations – the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia – comprising scores of different tribal groups and speaking well over 100 languages and dialects.
KL has always been a city of immigrants, and it continues to be so: there are communities of Indonesians and Thais (many of whom live in the Kampung Baru), as well as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis and citizens of Myanmar (Burma), some of whom are refugees. People from the Middle East have also settled here. The Western expat population is relatively small in comparison.
Government economic policies since the early 1970s have favoured Malays, thus helping defuse this community's fear and resentment of Chinese economic dominance. The cost has been Chinese and Indian Malaysians becoming second-class citizens in a country where they also have roots stretching back generations.
The Malays
All Malays, Muslims by birth, are supposed to follow Islam, but many also adhere to older spiritual beliefs and adat. With its roots in the Hindu period, adat is customary law that places great emphasis on collective responsibility and maintaining harmony within the community – almost certainly a factor in the general goodwill between the different ethnic groups in Malaysia.
The enduring appeal of the communal kampung (village) spirit shouldn’t be underestimated – many an urban Malay hankers after it, despite the affluent Western-style living conditions they enjoy at home. In principle
, villagers are of equal status, though a headman is appointed on the basis of his wealth, greater experience or spiritual knowledge. Traditionally, the founder of the village was appointed village leader (penghulu or ketua kampung) and often members of the same family would also become leaders. A penghulu is usually a haji, one who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Muslim religious leader, the imam, holds a position of great importance in the community as the keeper of Islamic knowledge and the leader of prayer, but even educated urban Malaysians periodically turn to pawang (shamans who possess a supernatural knowledge of harvests and nature) or bomoh (spiritual healers with knowledge of curative plants and the ability to harness the power of the spirit world) for advice before making any life-changing decisions.
The Malay surname is the child’s father’s first name. This is why Malaysians will use your given name after Mr or Ms; to use your surname would be to address your father.
The Chinese
Religious customs govern much of the Chinese community’s home life, from the moment of birth, which is carefully recorded for astrological consultations later in life, to funerals, which also have many rites and rituals. It is common to see Malaysian Chinese wafting sticks of incense outside their homes and businesses. There's also a strong attachment to the original area of China from where a family originated, seen in the attachment of families to specific temples or kongsi (clan houses).
The Chinese, who started arriving in the region in the early 15th century, came mostly from the southern Chinese province of Fujian and eventually formed one-half of the group known as Peranakans. They developed their own distinct hybrid culture, whereas later settlers, from Guangdong and Hainan provinces, stuck more closely to the culture of their homelands, including keeping their dialects.
If there’s one cultural aspect that all Malaysian Chinese agree on it’s the importance of education. It has been a very sensitive subject among the Malaysian Chinese community since the attempt in the 1960s to phase out secondary schools in which Chinese was the medium of teaching, and the introduction in the early 1970s of government policies that favour Malays. The constraining of educational opportunities within Malaysia for the ethnic Chinese has resulted in many families working doubly hard to afford the tuition fees needed to send their offspring to private schools within the country and to overseas institutions.
The Indians
Indians in Malaysia hail from many parts of the subcontinent and have different cultures depending on their religions – mainly Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity. Most are Tamils, originally coming from the area now known as Tamil Nadu in southern India, where Hindu traditions are strong. Later, Muslim Indians from northern India followed, along with Sikhs. These religious affiliations dictate many of the home-life customs and practices of Malaysian Indians, although one celebration that all Hindus and much of Malaysia takes part in is Deepavali.
A small, English-educated Indian elite has always played a prominent role in Malaysian society, and a significant merchant class exists. However, a large percentage of Indians – imported as indentured labourers by the British – remain a poor working class.
The Peranakans
Peranakan means ‘half-caste’ in Malay, which is exactly what the Peranakans are: descendants of Chinese immigrants who from the 16th century onwards settled principally in Singapore, Melaka and Penang and married Malay women.
The culture and language of the Peranakans is a fascinating melange of Chinese and Malay traditions. The Peranakans took the name and religion of their Chinese fathers, but the customs, language and dress of their Malay mothers. They also used the terms Straits-born or Straits Chinese to distinguish themselves from later arrivals from China.
Another name you may hear for these people is Baba-Nonyas, after the Peranakan words for men (baba) and women (nonya). The Peranakans were often wealthy traders who could afford to indulge their passions for sumptuous furnishings, jewellery and brocades. Their terrace houses were brightly painted, with patterned tiles embedded in the walls for extra decoration. When it came to the interiors, Peranakan tastes favoured heavily carved and inlaid furniture.
Peranakan dress was similarly ornate. Women wore fabulously embroidered kasot manek (beaded slippers) and kebaya (blouses worn over a sarong), tied with beautiful kerasong (brooches), usually of fine filigree gold or silver. Men – who assumed Western dress in the 19th century, reflecting their wealth and their contacts with the British – saved their finery for important occasions such as the wedding ceremony, a highly stylised and intricate ritual dictated by adat (Malay customary law).
The Peranakan patois is a Malay dialect but one containing many Hokkien words – so much so that it is largely unintelligible to a Malay speaker. The Peranakans also included words and expressions from English and French, and occasionally used a form of backward Malay by reversing the syllables.
The Orang Asli
The indigenous people of Malaysia – known collectively as Orang Asli – played an important role in early trade, teaching the colonialists about forest products and guiding prospectors to outcrops of tin and precious metals. They also acted as scouts and guides for anti-insurgent forces during the Emergency in the 1950s.
Despite this, the Orang Asli remain marginalised in Malaysia. According to the most recent government data, published in December 2004, Peninsular Malaysia has just under 150,000 Orang Asli (Original People), and 80% live below the poverty line – compared with an 8.5% national average. The tribes are generally classified into three groups: the Negrito, the Senoi, and the Proto-Malays, who are subdivided into 18 tribes, the smallest being the Orang Kanak, with just 87 members. There are dozens of tribal languages and most Orang Asli follow animist beliefs, though there are vigorous attempts to convert them to Islam.
Since 1939 Orang Asli concerns have been represented and managed by a succession of government departments, the latest iteration being JAKOA, an acronym for Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (Orang Asli Development Department), which came into being in 2011.
In the past, Orang Asli land rights have often not been recognised, and when logging, agricultural or infrastructure projects require their land, their claims are generally regarded as illegal. The current government has yet to adopt a different approach. Between 2010 and 2012 the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) conducted a national enquiry into the land rights of indigenous peoples and made various recommendations. This was followed up by a government task force to study the findings and look at implementing the recommendations. The report was presented to government in September 2014, but two years later the government was yet to respond.
Religion
Peninsular Malaysia was Buddhist and Hindu for a thousand years before the local rulers adopted Islam. Today Islam is the state religion of Malaysia, and freedom of religion is guaranteed by the nation's constitution. The various Chinese religions are also strongly entrenched. Christianity has a presence, but it's never been strong in Peninsular Malaysia. About the only major religion you won't come across is Judaism.
Islam
The religion is believed to have spread through contact with Indian Muslim traders and it gained such respect that by the mid-15th century the third ruler of Melaka, Maharaja Mohammed Shah (r 1424–44), had converted. His son Mudzaffar Shah took the title of sultan and made Islam the state religion. With its global trade links, Melaka became a hub for the dissemination of Islam and the Malay language across the region.
The Malay strain of Islam is not like Arabia’s more orthodox Islamic traditions. It absorbed rather than conquered existing beliefs, and was adopted peacefully by Malaysia’s coastal trading ports. Islamic sultanates replaced Hindu kingdoms – though the Hindu concept of kings remained – and the Hindu traditions of adat continued despite the dominance of Islamic law. Malay ceremonies and beliefs still exhibit pre-Islamic traditions, but most Malays are ardent Muslims – to suggest otherwise would cause great offence.
With the rise o
f Islamic fundamentalism, calls to introduce Islamic law and purify the practices of Islam have increased; yet, while the federal government of Malaysia is keen to espouse Muslim ideals, it is wary of religious extremism.
Key Beliefs & Practices
Most Malaysian Muslims are Sunnis, but all Muslims share a common belief in the Five Pillars of Islam:
AShahadah (the declaration of faith) ‘There is no God but Allah; Mohammed is his Prophet.’
ASalat (prayer) Ideally five times a day, in which the muezzin (prayer leader) calls the faithful to prayer from the minarets of every mosque.
AZakat (tax) Usually taking the form of a charitable donation.
ASawm (fasting) Includes observing the fasting month of Ramadan.
AHajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) Every Muslim aspires to do the hajj at least once in their lifetime.
Muslim dietary laws forbid alcohol, pork and all pork-based products. Restaurants where it’s OK for Muslims to dine will be clearly labelled 'halal'; this is a stricter definition than places that label themselves simply ‘pork free’.
A radical Islamic movement has not taken serious root in Malaysia, but religious conservatism has grown over recent years. For foreign visitors, the most obvious sign of this is the national obsession with propriety, which extends to newspaper polemics on female modesty and raids by the police on ‘immoral’ public establishments, which can include clubs and bars where Muslims may be drinking.
Lonely Planet Kuala Lumpur, Melaka & Penang Page 35