Ethnical malaysia essays

Ethnical malaysia essays Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu Unity is Strength There are several ethnicities in modern-day Malaysia. The majority consists of Malays, Chinese and Indians, but there are many smaller groups, mainly from other parts of Asia. This multiethnic society evolved as different waves of people moved into the country. The first people who lived in Malaysia, peninsular Malaysia and the Bornean states, were believed to be a people known as Orang Asli. These natives lived around 2500-1500 BC. In more modern times, immigrants have been settling in Malaysia continuously. This essay will briefly describe the history of Malaysia and discuss the significance of the ethnic groups living there. In the centuries before Islam came to Malaysia, Hindu-Buddhist influence was strong. By 1400, when the Malacca Sultanate was at the height of its power, Islam had become a major influence. By 1511, Malacca was defeated by the Portuguese. Meanwhile, the Dutch had been establishing their influence and presence in Java. By 1641, the Dutch had also taken over Malacca but they lost it to the British who had been slowly uniting their hold on the Malay states following Francis Lights arrival in Penang in 1786. In 1815, Malacca was under British rule and in 1819 Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded Singapore. After this, through treaties and by harsh political pressure, the British slowly extended their control over all the states of the Malay Peninsula. Sarawak, in northern Borneo (once part of the Sultan of Bruneis Empire), was ruled by a British adventurer named James Brooke and his family in 1841. In 1888, Sarawak and Sabah became British protectorates. By the 1920s, all the states that eventually made up Malaysia were under British control. The first risings of Malaysian nationalism were felt in the 1930s until the end of the Second World War, leading to the independence of the Fe...