Understanding the identity conflict in Semenanjung and its effect on Sabah and Sarawak

Prior to independence, race was the main basis for identity that the population of Semenanjung identified with. The three main racial groups were the Malay, Chinese and Indians.

Racial identity is based on one’s affinity with one’s ancestors. Considering that, in terms of racial identity, the Chinese and the Indians possessed a stronger racial identity than the Malays, on account of the fact that the Chinese and Indians have a longer and more ancient relationship with their ancestors than the Malays.

To compensate for the fact that their racial identity was not as strong as that of the Chinese and the Indians , the Malays fused their primary identity with their secondary identity, or their religious identity, to reinforce their racial identity. In time, their religious identity will even replace their racial identity to become their primary identity. Today, most Malays likely see themselves as Muslims first, Malays second, rather than as Malays first, Muslim second.

The reason that the Malays had to more reinforce their racial identity with their religious identity to effectively contend with the Chinese and the Indian identity, is because all identities are naturally cantankerous and domineering by nature.

Before independence, the domineering and cantankerous nature of the races in Semenanjung was restrained by the fact that the races in Semenanjung were physically separated by physical borders. Prior to independence, each race had its own enclave and on the most part, each race stayed within the parameters of its own enclave.

Upon independence however, the boundaries that separated by races in Semenanjung were removed, and caused the three races to intermingle. When identity groups intermingle, the cantankerous nature of identities and the question of which identity is the most dominant identity will arise.

The question of domination will arise, because the intermingling of identity groups will result in synthesis of identity, and the more dominant the influencing identity group is, the more influence it will be able to exert in the synthesis.

Conversely, the less dominant the influencing identity group is, the greater the likelihood that its feature will not be present in the new identity group that is to be formed.

Because it is the Malay-Muslim identity group that has dominated in post -independence Malaysia, most Malaysians today speak Bahasa Melayu while the Islamic way of life affects even the lives of the non-Muslims in Malaysia.

In contrast, the weakest identity group in Malaysia, the Indians, are today without leaders and parties. Many of our most determinative physical presence – namely our temples – are also under the threat of demolition. Compared to the Malays and the Chinese, a greater ratio of Indians in the country are identifying themselves as Malaysians rather than as Indian. Soon, it might come to pass that the Indian identity might become subsumed into the larger identity groups in Malaysia.

In other words, identity conflict has been a permanent feature of Semenanjung since independence because upon independence, all the racial identity groups in the country have been thrust into a fight for its survival.

Under the conditions set by our Independence, the outcome is already predetermined – all the pre-independence identity groups in Malaysia will have to evolve and fuse into becoming Malaysians at some point in time. If we fail to achieve this outcome, then the condition that set forth this outcome – namely our independence and sovereignty – will run out of the fuel that sustains it.

We will fail to achieve this outcome if the delivery of the Malaysian identity is delayed for too long that it dies before it is born.

The delivery of the Malaysian identity birth is delayed because the original and formative identity groups in the Semenanjung – i.e the Malays, Chinese and Indians – are unable to agree on the level of influence that each will have on the Malaysian identity.

At present, the chief disagreement is mainly between the Malays and the Chinese – the Indians look like we have been defeated, and are resigned to be “Malaysians” even if we have little or no influence in determining the Malaysian identity.

The delay in the birth of the Malaysian identity is already showing signs that it is going to affect the independence and sovereignty of the federation.

Sabah and Sarawak are already showing signs that they have lost faith that a fully formed Malaysian identity will ever emerge. In consequence, they are increasingly manifesting a desire to separate from the federation and establish their own identity.

In 2025 and 2026, the battle for the fate of the federation is likely going to manifest itself in the political landscape of the country, via the Sabah and Sarawak state elections.

There will be many ways to interpret the rising tension between East and West Malaysia, but the root cause of the trouble is that it is the result of the delay in the birth of a fully formed Malaysia identity.

Regardless of how the trouble that Semenanjung will have with Sabah and Sarawak pans out, one thing is for certain – a full closure will not be attained, until a fully formed Malaysian identity is formed, or we completely give up faith that it can be formed.

Nehru Sathiamoorthy