A theoretical analysis of racial integration through new economic policy and 1Malaysia concept

• Published in: Advanced Science Letters
• Main Author: Awang A.A.; Sheikh S.S.S.; Lokman A.M.; Saifuddin A.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Scientific Publishers 2016
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84985963128&doi=10.1166%2fasl.2016.6614&partnerID=40&md5=ee342d883bf1d94f56738edf48a0711b

Malaysia is keen to be the beacon of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural society with an aspiration to integrate diverse ethnic groups into one single identity, but it gradually seems to have drifted away from the goal. After Malaysia gained its independence in 1957 and the separation of Singapore from the Federation of Malaya, the government of Malaysia initiated several policies to alleviate poverty and encourage economic growth, while simultaneously promoting national unity—the most prominent policy was the New Economic Policy (NEP) initiated in 1971. Recently, Prime Minister Najib Razak has initiated the 1Malaysia concept, which shares similar objectives to those of the NEP—it is intended to encourage integration within the multi-ethnic population. However, racial tension and interfaith disputes continue to occur therefore doubts arise whether the NEP and 1Malaysia have failed to achieve their goals of promoting economic growth, at the same time achieving racial integration within Malaysia’s populace. This study is developed from a systematic analysis of primary and secondary data sources, by applying a social constructivist approach to analyze the data. No specific period is imposed for inclusion in the data collection, any work discussing the NEP and 1Malaysia in any year is considered relevant. In contrast, this work attempts to clarify the concepts of NEP and 1Malaysia in terms of economics, social developments, and politics within the contexts of racial integration and national identity, based on the conducted review of previous studies. © 2016 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.