Masyarakat Majmuk

I always think that Malaysians can do more to show the world how people from different backgrounds can live together without much conflict. That's what the government and other organisations in Malaysia have been promoting to the rest of the world, right?

Malaysia, Truly Asia. Such a catchy phrase has been deeply locked in many foreigners' mind; at least that's what my experience with other couchsurfers tells me.

Most of the time, I explained to the couchsurfers that much conflicts were actually avoided as many Malaysians didn’t have much interaction with others of different backgrounds, be it race, religion, education, sexuality or whatever.

The institutions and policies implemented in this country, somewhat create an imaginative borders that group people in different community and prevent any interactions. Many do believe that such boundaries separating different communities must be eliminated eventually.

Nevertheless, one couchsurfer from Tunisia I hosted recently told me a different opinion: People from different backgrounds shouldn’t mix around and should just stay within the group they belong to. That’s the reason why Malaysians live in harmony and different cultures are well protected.

I was so shocked with such a remark. So, does it mean that we are heading to the wrong direction? Do we have to stop all the works in encouraging more integration among people? No, I don’t think so. We should just continue with our hard work to achieve that mission!

Well, he’s a foreigner and doesn’t really understanding the concept of multicultural which has had a long history with this nation. Hopefully, after his tour around Malaysia and Indonesia, he would have a new perception on the multicultural Malaysian society.