Fostering stronger relations

A conference titled Discourse on Fostering Ethnic Relations in Malaysia was held at Sungai Long Campus on 24 August 2016. The conference aimed to foster greater interethnic understanding and relations, and unite Malaysians through interfaith dialogue.

Prof Mansor (right) receiving a gift basket from UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Prof Ir Dr Ewe Hong Tat

“The concept of commonality is very important for ethnic relations. Universal values that we share as well as common issues that we face, such as crime, poverty and cost of living, are strengths that bind us together,” said Head of the National Unity Cluster, National Council of Professors, Prof Dr Mansor Mohd Noor.

Prof Mansor also said that our diversity has great potential to aid Malaysia to becoming a dynamic and competitive nation, but also warned that it could be manipulated by irresponsible parties to cause discord.

The discourse was divided into two sections with differing themes. The first was ‘Dialog Antara Agama: Mencari Titik Pertemuan Kesepaduan Sosial Antara Penganut Agama (Interfaith Dialogue: Seeking the Nexus of Interfaith Social Unity)’.

 

From left: Dr Rajantheran, Dr Wendy, Dr Ahmad, UPM Faculty of Human Ecology Dr Lee Yok Fee, and Assoc Prof Dr Sarjit share the importance of building good ethnic relations

Prof Dr Rajantheran a/l Muniandy, from the Department of Indian Studies, University of Malaya (UM), said every religion shares common values such as piety, love of God, respect for tradition, emphasis on duty, and responsibility to uphold basic human virtues, such as nonviolence, truthfulness, compassion and charity.

“Change starts with the individual. Building a harmonious and peaceful society starts with self-reflection and transformation,” said panellist Dr Wendy Yee Mei Tien from UM.

Panellists from the Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Tarmizi Bin Talib and Assoc Prof Dr Sarjit Singh Darshan Singh said the key to harmony and peace lies in our courage to learn the differences of other religions, and then embracing and acknowledging their strengths.

One of the strategies for improving ethnic relations is for people from different communities to be involved in programmes such as this, which ensures higher tolerance and forms a sense of togetherness.

The second part of the discourse was ‘Symposium: Language, Unity and Identity in Malaysia’.

From left: Dr Kamila, Dato’ Dr Saran and Dr Susan speaking on the importance of language in nation building

Language also plays a significant role in nation building as it contributes toward the forging of a national identity. Malaysia’s complex multicultural background has given birth to unique linguistic choices, such as rojak, a distinctive Malaysian speech that incorporates words borrowed from Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and others.

Assoc Prof Dr Mary Susan Philip from the Department of English Language, UM said language choice remains a highly debated issue, as some individuals in various ethnic groups still prefer to express themselves in their own languages.

Using her research on Orang Asli languages, Prof Dr Kamila Gazali, also from UM’s Department of English Language, showed that a majority of the Orang Asli communities still maintain a positive attitude towards their languages but also acknowledged the importance of learning languages that are used for trade. However, she also found out that their minority languages and even cultures are sometimes sacrificed in pursuit of attaining competence in the lingua franca.

“Multiethnic and multilingual countries like Malaysia are currently facing the challenge of creating the essential balance that is needed between national, ethnic linguistic and cultural identities,” said Prof Dato’ Dr Saran Kaur Gill from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

This conference was jointly organised by the National Council of Professors (MPN), together with UTAR's Centre of Modern Languages and Literature (CMLL) and Faculty of Creative Industries’ Department of General Studies.