What_Makes_We_Malaysian

Introduction In 1946, Federated Malay States (Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Selangor) and Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis), together with Malacca and Penang formed the Malayan Union which then reformed as the Federation of Malaya in 1948. Federation of Malaya gained its independence day on 31 August 1957. On 16 September 1963, Malaya Federation of Malaya merged with Singapore, Sarawak, and North Borneo (now known as Sabah) and formed a new federation and which was officially name as Malaysia. On 9 August 1965, Singapore went out from Malaysia to become independent. Malaysia consists of 13 states and 3 Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan). It is a democracy country and its head of state is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appointed by elected monarch and recycling among 9 hereditary Sultans of the Malay states, for 5 years term, and the head of government is the Prime Minister. . |[pic] |The National Flag was name Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory) consist of 14 red and| |Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory) |white stripes alternately, equally width and 14 pointed star represent the equal | | |status in the federation the 13 member states and the federal government of the | | |states in Malaysia. The crescent represents Islam, the official religion and | the yellow colour of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers while the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. |The National Emblem of Malaysia consists of a shield guarded by two tigers. The shield is topped by a |[pic]Unity Is Strength | |yellow crescent represent Islam as the official religion and a fourteen pointed star represent states in | | |Malaysia, and includes a motto, depicted as a banner, at the bottom. The yellow symbolize the country's | | |monarchy. | | [pic] [pic] [pic] Unity Is Strength Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory) Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory) is the name of the national flag consist of 14 red and white stripes alternately, equally width and 14 pointed star represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government of the states in Malaysia. The crescent represents Islam, the official religion and the yellow colour of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers while the blue canton symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. The National Emblem of Malaysia consists of a shield guarded by two tigers. The shield is topped by a crest consisting of a yellow crescent represent Islam and a fourteen pointed star represent states in Malaysia, and includes a motto, depicted as a banner, at the bottom. The yellow colour of the crest, a crescent and a 14-pointed federal star, symbolises the country's monarchy. The crescent also represents Islam as the official religion while the federal star represents the thirteen states and the Federal Territories of Malaysia. The melody of the National anthem called Negaraku was initiated from the state anthem of Perak. The lyrics were written by Tunku Abdul Rahman, first Prime Minister of Malaysia together with the panel of judges. | | Malaysia total landmass is 329,845 square kilometres (127,354 sq mi). The country is separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. It is near the equator and the weather was a tropical climate and characterized by the annual monsoons. Malaysia has the largest rain forest and rich of flora and fauna. Culture [pic][pic] In 15th Century, Islam was brought by Indian Muslim and Hui people from China who came to trade in Melaka. In 16th century it had become the dominan religion among Malays. Our local culture also influence by them. The people adopted the Indian religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the use of the Sanskrit in writing. Today Malaysia total population stands at over 28 million. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society. The population consisting of 62% Bumiputeras (including indigenous people), 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities and other ethnic groups such as Iban and Bidayuh in Sarawak and Bajau, Murut and Kadazan, in Sabah creating a unique Malaysian culture. Malay culture shows strong influences from Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. and its derives from Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other ethnic groups such as Iban, Bidayuh in Sarawak and Bajau, Murut, Kadazan, in Sabah creating a unique Malaysian culture. Islam is the largest and official religion of Malaysia, though it is a multi-religious society and religious freedom including Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Sikh. Languages used are English, Chinese mostly Cantonese, Mandarin and Hokkien, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai while the official language is Bahasa Malaysia. which was also known as Bahasa Melayu. On 13 May 1969, a serious race riot occurred proving that Malaysian racial balance and stability was fragile at that time. Immediately thereafter, the Malaysian government sought ways to foster unity among Malaysians and one of the ideas is implementing the National Principles or Rukunegara, a Malaysian declaration of national philosophy instituted by royal proclamation on Merdeka Day, 1970. . |NATIONAL ANTHEM | |My country, the land where my blood is shed, | |The people live United and progressive, | |Blessings of happiness, may God blessed, | |(And that) our King may reign in peace. | |Blessings of happiness, may God blessed, | |(And that) our King may reign in peace | |********************************* | |Negaraku, | |Tanah tumpahnya darahku, | |Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju, | |Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan, | |Raja kita, selamat bertakhta. | |Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan, | |Raja kita, selamat bertakhta | |NATIONAL PRINCIPLES | |Our nation, Malaysia, is being dedicated : | |to achieve a greater unity of all her peoples; | |to maintain a democratic way of life; | |to create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; | |to ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions; | |and to build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology; | |We, her peoples, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by these principles: | |BELIEF IN GOD | |LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY | |UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION | |RULE OF LAW | |COURTESY AND MORALITY | WHAT MAKES ME A MALAYSIAN What makes you a Malaysian ' Do you love Malaysia ' How can you show your love to Malaysia ' Are you proud to be Malaysian' How will you describe Malaysia to outsiders ' What do you think is different in Malaysia that we can’t get in others country ' And how can we describe the cultures in Malaysia ' These are the questions I asked in my interviews. What makes you a Malaysian ' From the interview, the respond I received from the respondents are in common that is they are Malaysian because they were born and raised in Malaysia. One of them even responded that he was a Malaysian because he’s holding the blue identity card. That is true. But what makes we are really Malaysian is that we show to the world our true identity and dignity despite of different races, ethnics and background, which are not influenced by the people from others country. All the people shared their tradition, speak the same language, celebrates each others festivals togetherness and happiness, and we respects others cultures, traditions, and beliefs. That is what makes we are unique and truly Malaysian. [pic] The people of Malaysia Malaysians celebrate the festivities together in harmony and joyfulness. The most celebrated festivals are Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Awal Muharram and Birthday of the Prophet which is celebrated by the Malays. The Chinese celebrating Chinese New Year which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. The Buddhists celebrates Wesak, the Hindu celebrate Thaipusam and Deepavali. The Punjabi celebrates the Sikh New Year or Baisakhi, or commonly known as the Vaisakhi because it falls during the month of Vaisakh. The Christian celebrating Christmas, Easter and Good Friday. Malaysian also celebrate the harvest festivals as Gawai by Dayak in Sarawak and Kaamatan by Kadazan in Sabah. Others than religious celebration, Malaysian also celebrate Independence Day and Malaysia Day. Do you love Malaysia ' All of the respondents love Malaysia because Malaysia and its people is full of happiness, kindness and beautiful that shows the true identity of Malaysian. Malaysia is a unique in its own culture despite of having multi racial with multi culture and different beliefs. One of the respondents give feedback that she loves Malaysia because it is a fast developing country but yet the people lives in harmony and peacefully eventhough we lives in different culture and beliefs. This is the country that all the races stay together without any war. Malaysian are tolerance with each other, always giving some help when other people affect by a disaster. The youngsters always respect the eldest no matter it is even if it is someone with different races or religions. Malaysian also like helping each others and celebrate everything together. This culture make Malaysia very peacefully and harmony. [pic] How can you show your love to Malaysia ' We can show our love by supporting the industrial with buying Malaysian products. One of the respondents respond that he will stick with it even a storm coming in. Others just show good attitude of Malaysian simply just like smile and respect the rules and laws. One of the respondent emphasize us to be a good citizen as Malaysian supposed to be, accept the Rukun Negara and helps promoting the true Malaysia to the outsider. Apart of that show support to our country with what ever you can give eventhough it is so small and make the country achieve their coming Vision 2020. Another respond I received is, recycle anything that we can to keep Malaysia clean and healthy environment. Using recycle bags instead of plastic bags when shopping and buying things and recycle used papers for drafts. Are you proud to be Malaysian' The respond I get is we should being proud to be Malaysian because Malaysia is a peace and harmony country in this world. There is no war or natural disaster like earthquake or volcanic eruptions in Malaysia. We feel safe when and where we want to go. We live in difference culture, race and religion. This makes we are more open-minded. Malaysian also known for their politeness and kindness. Many encouraging people who wants to break a record in the Malaysia book of records. In Malaysia also we have traditional food likes rendang, lemang, ketupat and nasi lemak. How will you describe Malaysia to outsiders ' Interesting Places One of the responds is we can show to the whole world that the people in Malaysian live in peace, safe, less criminal cases, authentic, and very friendly. We also can show the beauty of Malaysia. Malaysia is a modern country of tropical season with rich and nice culture with so many beautiful places for vacation. One of them is beautiful crystal clear island and we have one of the top diving sites in the world in Sipadan. We have the biggest cave in the world named World Heritage Sites that can accommodate a few of Boeing 747. One of the tallest structure in Malaysia is the Petronas Twin Tower which is one of the tallest building in the world. Our National Park has a tropical rain forest with age more than 100 million years which is the highest and longest canopy walk in the world. Not to mention the highest peak in Southeast Asia where you can see the largest flora in the world, rafflesia. Malaysian Cuisine One of the respondents responds that we can show to the world the best of Malaysian cuisine. Malaysia has a wide range of variety of cuisine from spicy Malay food, and Chinese food to Indian, Nyonya and Portuguese food. We also have Western and Eastern cuisine in Malaysia. Overall, Malaysia is a paradise of food and eating out in Malaysia can be best described as a gastronomic adventure. In addition to the restaurants, Malaysia is also home to some of the international fast food chains along with innumerable indigenous road side food stalls and food bazaars. In fact hawkers selling variety of foods, drinks and fruits have become an indispensable aspect of the country. He also highlight that the traditional Malay food usually highly spiced and flavored with herbs and coconut milk. Some of the popular are satay, nasi lemak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles. Some of the popular during festivals are lemang, ketupat and rendang. Chinese food also forms a major part of the Malaysian cuisine. You will find in the country a number of restaurants that offers a variety of Chinese dishes like steamed seafood dumplings with shark's fin, steamed soft noodles with shrimps, steamed crabsticks stuffed with fish paste, deep-fried dumplings with salted eggs and red bean paste. Indian food has become an indispensable aspect of Malaysian cuisine. Indian foods are renowned for their spices and variety. The restaurants in Malaysia offer you a wide range of Indian dishes that includes North Indian and South Indian dishes. You can also avail Nyonya food in the country and some of the restaurants here also offer Nyonya food, which is often dubbed as Straits Chinese food or Lauk Embok Embok. Nyonya food is basically a blend of Chinese and Malay cuisine. Economic Other respondents responded that we also can highlight about our economic situation. Between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth under the premiership of Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad. The period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such as computers and consumer electronics. The physical landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest building in the world, and still retains its status as the tallest twin building), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the Sepang International Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and Putrajaya, the new federal administrative capital. Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is one of the top exporters of natural rubber and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapples and tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of foreign exchange. While the pace of development today is not as rapid, it is seen to be more sustainable. Although the controls and economic housekeeping may or may not have been the principal reasons for recovery, there is no doubt that the banking sector has become more resilient to external shocks. The current account has also settled into a structural surplus, providing a cushion to capital flight. Asset prices are generally back to their pre-crisis heights, despite the effects of the global financial crisis. Malaysia is also the world's largest Islamic banking and financial centre. In 2001 MNSA started a plan for developing its science module in collaboration with JAXA. Early 2006, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and three other finalists were selected for the Angkasawan spaceflight program. The program arose after Russia agreed to transport one Malaysian to the International Space Station as part of a multi-billion purchase of 18 Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets by Royal Malaysian Air Force. How do you describe the cultures in Malaysia ' More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own. Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history, the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diversity of heritage. These are the responds I receive during the interview. Some of the unique local customs of Malaysia are whenever you meet an older person, greet with a slender bow. As you enter or leave a place or pass by someone, you should be giving a moderate bow, which gives the expression of "excuse me". One should not touch other people’s top portion of the head. Avoid public display of anger, so try to take things easy. Touching someone from the opposite sex is also avoidable. Always use your right hand while eating, passing things on or touching people. Malay people like to eat with their hands, the greatest spoon-and-fork human beings have ever had. The practice is also followed in the restaurants and saves you much time waiting for the cutlery. What do you think is different in Malaysia that we can’t get in others countries ' All the respond from the respondents are Malaysia is different because of the unique of the food, entertainment, weather, and the people. Malaysia has a long list of traditional and modern food. Some of the names even funny like Batang Buruk and kuih Tahi Itik but its taste good. The other respondents said it is because Malaysia has beautiful beaches and rich in flora and fauna. We still preserve the nature and have the largest national park. One of the respondents said that the most beautiful thing in Malaysia is Malaysian are united even with multi culture, belief, the different skin of the people and the amazing food. Malaysian friends with other races and ethnics and talk about everything from work issues, celebrity gossips to fashion checklist while having teh tarik at mamak stall. One of the respondents respond that when chatting among friends we love to use our "Manglish version" of language (Malay language and English). For him, that is the different about Malaysia even the truth is the outsiders heard that as Malaysian converse in broken English. CONLUSION As a Malaysian, we should love and proud to be a Malaysian and show it to the others. We should know the identity of Malaysia so we could differentiate it with others country. By knowing it’s unique in culture and people, and difference from others, we can promote Malaysia to the world. When we know what is best and interesting about Malaysia easier for us to describe it to the others. Being a Malaysian is to love Malaysia and its people and follows all the rules in Malaysia. We must unite no matter what races or religions we are to strengthen the country as the motto on The National Emblem which says "Unity Is Strength". We can do campaign to attract people to visit Malaysia and experience our culture like the one the government has been doing. We can have a project like exchange students from other countries for a short term. The culture in Malaysia is unique in everywhere, interesting with the multicultural. Everyone had their own culture to go with but it is important to know that who we are and we live our life on our own desire. All the races stay in peace without most critical issue like other country, may sit together, being friends without feel weird, having and sharing things together without blaming each other. Malaysian shares everything from culture, foods, native, development and to nature. Each race has their own culture, from the major to the minor native. Therefore Malaysia is the right place to get a new experience especially in cultural and the traditional. This is what makes we are Malaysian.Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual society. The population consisting of 62% Bumiputeras (including indigenous people), 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, with other minorities along with foreigners (mostly semi-skilled workers. While Malays are defined by the constitution as Muslim, Malay culture shows strong influences from Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. The most celebrated festival, Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya, Awal Muharram Birthday of the Prophet. Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year which lasts for fifteen days and ends with Chap Goh Mei. Buddhists celebrate Wesak, the day of Buddha's birth. For Hindu they celebrate Deepavali, the festival of light and Thaipusam. Punjabi Malaysians celebrate the Sikh new year or Baisakhi. Because it falls during the month of Vaisakh, the occasion is more commonly known as the Vaisakhi festival. The Christian community celebrates Christmas and Easter. East Malaysians also celebrate the harvest festivals of Gawai in Sarawak and Kaamatan in Sabah. Despite most of the festivals being identified with a particular ethnic or religious group, all Malaysians celebrate the festivities together, regardless of their background. The term Kongsi Raya (which means "sharing the celebration" in Malay) was coined for years when Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year because of the similarity between the word kongsi and the Chinese New Year greeting of Gong xi fa cai. Similarly, the portmanteau Deepa Raya was coined when Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali coincided. Economic During the late 20th century, Malaysia experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development. It borders the Strait of Malacca, an important international shipping crossroad, and international trade is integral to its economy.[20] Manufacturing makes up a major sector of the country's economy.[21] Malaysia has a biodiverse range of flora and fauna, and is also considered one of the 17 megadiverse countries. Between the 1980s and the mid-1990s, Malaysia experienced significant economic growth under the premiership of Mahathir bin Mohamad.[43] The period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on manufacturing and industry in areas such as computers and consumer electronics. It was during this period, too, that the physical landscape of Malaysia has changed with the emergence of numerous mega-projects. The most notable of these projects are the Petronas Twin Towers (at the time the tallest building in the world, and still retains its status as the tallest twin building), KL International Airport (KLIA), North-South Expressway, the Sepang International Circuit, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the Bakun hydroelectric dam and Putrajaya, the new federal administrative capital. In the late 1990s, Malaysia was shaken by the Asian financial crisis as well as political unrest caused by the sacking of the deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Strait of Malacca, lying between Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia, is arguably the most important shipping lane in the world.[61] Kuala Lumpur is the official capital and largest city of Malaysia. Putrajaya is the federal administrative capital. Malaysia is well-endowed with natural resources in areas such as agriculture, forestry and minerals. In terms of agriculture, Malaysia is one of the top exporters of natural rubber and palm oil, which together with sawn logs and sawn timber, cocoa, pepper, pineapples and tobacco dominate the growth of the sector. Palm oil is also a major generator of foreign exchange. Regarding forestry resources, it is noted that logging only began to make a substantial contribution to the economy during the 19th century. Today, an estimated 59% of Malaysia remains forested. As Malaya moved towards independence, the government began implementing economic five-year plans, beginning with the First Malayan Five Year Plan in 1955. Upon the establishment of Malaysia, the plans were re-titled and renumbered, beginning with the First Malaysia Plan in 1965. During the same period, the government tried to eradicate poverty with the controversial New Economic Policy (NEP), after the 13 May Incident of racial rioting in 1969.[42] Its main objective was the elimination of the association of race with economic function, and the first five-year plan to begin implementing the NEP was the Second Malaysia Plan. The success or WHAT MAKES ME A MALAYSIAN What makes you a Malaysian ' Do you love Malaysia ' How do you show our love to Malaysia ' Are you proud to be Malaysian' How will you describe Malaysia to outsiders ' What do you think is different in Malaysia that we can’t get in others country ' And how can we describe the cultures in Malaysia ' These are the questions I asked in my interviews. All of the interviewees love Malaysia, 2 of them says because they were born and raised here and the other one also says that Malaysia full of hit is happiness, beautiful and kindness of its people and also because of the unique multi racial and cultures in Malaysia. One of the interviewees give feedback that she loves Malaysia because it is a developing country but yet the people lives in harmony and peacefully eventhough we lives in different culture and beliefs. In the view of one of the interviewee, Malaysia is beautiful in our own culture, belief, multi racial, and amazing food. Malaysia is fast growing independent and peaceful country. This is the country that all the races stay together without any war. We are Malaysian because we were born in Malaysia and holding the blue identity card. We live together in harmony. We celebrating each others celebration with joyful and happiness and we respects others cultures, traditions, and beliefs. I’m proud because Malaysia is a peace and harmony country in this world. Many encourage people which wanted to break Malaysia book of records. Also likes special food (traditional) like rendang and lemang, nasi lemak and the tarik. We live in difference culture, "bangsa", and "agama" and have polite people. Furthermore there is no war or earthquake in my beloved country. We feel safely whenever we want to go to. One of the interviewee said; “I’m a Malay, born in Malaysia and speak Bahasa Malaysia. But I am proud of its multi-racial. I know that there are some arguments and disputes about this, but the fact of having people of other races around makes you more open-minded. We ourselves, as Malaysians, must commit to our responsibilities of keeping a good relationship with people of other We can show to the whole world that Malaysia is a modern country of tropical season with rich and nice culture with so many beautiful place for vacation. Malaysia and its people live in peace, safe, less criminal cases, authentic, very friendly. Malaysia is the best place to live which is surprisingly beautiful. We have beautiful crystal clear island and one of the top diving sites (Sipadan) in the world. We have the biggest cave (World Heritage Sites) in the world that can accommodate few of Boeing 747. The Deer Cave is named after the deer which frequented the cave and which native hunters pursued. Malaysia has the tallest twin tower in the world (KLCC) and incorporate the garden and the modernization. We also have the highest and the longest canopy walk in the world in more than 100 million years old of the tropical rain forest (Taman Negara). Not to mention the highest peak in Southeast Asia where you can witness the largest flora in the world, rafflesia.religion and culture, and not being discriminatory.” Malaysia is known best for its food. Food, entertainment, weather, and people. Beautiful beach and rich on flora and fauna. Their food, attitude, and the island. But, the most beautiful thing in Malaysia is our culture, belief, colours of Malaysia and the amazing food. I am Malay and I have close friends that is Chinese Buddhist, Indian Hindu and Chinese Christian. But, our favourite thing to do is to get drunk with "the tarik" at 4 o'clock in the morning and have nasi lemak or roti canai at everywhere. We would talk about everything from work issues, celebrity gossips to fashion checklist. We have different color of skin, race and religion but we are so close like sisters and that is the beautiful thing about Malaysia. We love our "Manglish version" (Malay language and English) and we are so proud that Malaysia is really truly Asia. We can show our love to Malaysia by reading newspaper, supporting the industrial with buying Malaysian products. by sticking with it even a storm coming in, show the good attitude of malaysian simply just like smile. Respect the rules and laws. budi bahasa budaya kita' mean people in malaysia are tolerance on each other, always giving some help when other people disaster affected. The youngsters always respect the olders no matter if it different races or religions to give some help and celebrate everything together. This culture make Malaysia very peacefully and harmony. I will fight 4 our right. Be as good as Malaysian supposed to be, accept the Rukun Negara, never ever be just like the unacceptable behavior, behave myself as Malay/Muslim, promoting the true Malaysia to the outsider. I live here in harmony and peaceful with respect for others with their culture and religious. Apart of that show support to our country with what ever you can give eventhough it so small and make the country achieve their coming Vision 2020. The culture in Malaysia is unique in everywhere, interesting with the multicultural. plenty. everyone had their own culture to go with but its important to know that we are who we are and we live our life on our own desire. All the races stay in peace without most critical issue like other country, may sit together, be friends without feel weird, having and sharing things together without blaming each other. Culture, foods, native, development, nature and friendly. Each race have their own culture, from the major to the minor native. Therefore Malaysia is the right place to get a new experience especially in cultural and the traditional. Cultures have been meeting and mixing in Malaysia since the very beginning of its history. More than fifteen hundred years ago a Malay kingdom in Bujang Valley welcomed traders from China and India. With the arrival of gold and silks, Buddhism and Hinduism also came to Malaysia. A thousand years later, Arab traders arrived in Malacca and brought with them the principles and practices of Islam. By the time the Portuguese arrived in Malaysia, the empire that they encountered was more cosmopolitan than their own. Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history--the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage. RUKUNEGARA Bahawasanya Negara kita Malaysia mendukung cita-cita hendak : mencapai perpaduan yang lebih erat di kalangan seluruh masyarakatnya ; memelihara satu cara hidup demokratik ; mencipta satu masyarakat adil di mana kemakmuran Negara akan dapat dinikmati bersama secara adil dan saksama ; menjamin satu cara liberal terhadap tradisi-tradisi kebudayaannya yang kaya dan berbagai corak ; dan membina satu masyarakat progresif yang akan menggunakan sains dan teknologi moden. Maka kami, rakyat Malaysia, berikrar akan menumpukan seluruh tenaga dan usaha kami untuk mencapai cita-cita tersebut berdasarkan atas prinsip-prinsip yang berikut : KEPERCAYAAN KEPADA TUHAN KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA KELUHURAN PERLEMBAGAAN KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG KESOPANAN DAN KESUSILAAN NATIONAL PRINCIPLES Our nation, Malaysia, is being dedicated : to achieve a greater unity of all her peoples; to maintain a democratic way of life; to create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; to ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions; and to build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology; We, her peoples, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by these principles: BELIEF IN GOD LOYALTY TO KING AND COUNTRY UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION RULE OF LAW NATIONAL ANTHEM My country, the land where my blood is shed, The people live United and progressive, Blessings of happiness, may God blessed, (And that) our King may reign in peace. Blessings of happiness, may God blessed, (And that) our King may reign in peace ********************************* Negaraku, Tanah tumpahnya darahku, Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju, Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan, Raja kita, selamat bertakhta. Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan, Raja kita, selamat bertakhta REFERENCES 1) http://sejarahmalaysia.pnm.my/ 2) http://www.regit.com/malaysia/history/history.htm 3) http://www.1malaysia.com.my/ 4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malaysia_Tree_Diagram.png 5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Malaysia.svg#filehistory 6) http://phoenity.com/hibiscus/articles/togetherness_among_malaysians.html 7) http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/malaysia/culture-of-malaysia/local-customs-and-traditions-in-malaysia.html