Composition helps the student to express his views on what is happening in the world
around him, besides expressing personal thoughts, feelings and experiences.
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My country, Malaysia, is a small
independent country. Many races of people live harmoniously together. There
are Malays, Chinese, Indians and a sprinkling of
foreigners from Europe, America, Japan, Korea and the surrounding South East
Asian countries. Malaysians are noted for their friendliness and warm
hospitality. Each race carries on with its own way of life. Most of the
people in large towns work in banks, offices, government departments and
firms. The young attend schools, colleges or universities. Those in the rural
areas work in paddy fields, vegetable plots, poultry farms, rubber,
coconut and oil palm estates or tin-mines and factories.
Malaysians, being of different races, can
be seen on the streets in their various costumes, adding color to the scene.
The warm, sunny and wet climate throughout the year makes Malaysia a tropical
paradise. Visitors admire the green forested hills, the golden beaches with
graceful coconut palms fringing them, the blue sea and, of course, the local
cuisine. Foreign tourists find these places ideal for a holiday, as they get
away from their cold countries.
Besides, Malaysia's cool hill-resorts like
Cameron Highlands, Fraser's Hill and Genting Highlands make the day pleasant
and refreshing, away from the hot lowlands.
Lastly, Malaysia is a rich country, famous
the world over for its tin, rubber and palm oil exports. Kuala Lumpur, the
capital city, is the largest in Malaysia, with many modern buildings. The
international airport at Sepang is always busy. I am proud of my country
which I love dearly.
Words
Sprinkling - a small number
noted - wide known, famous
paddy field - A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops.
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. It consists of
two regions about 650 kilometres apart, which are separated by the South China
Sea. The regions are Peninsular (formerly West) Malaysia, and Sarawak and
Sabah (formerly East Malaysia), on the northern part of the island of Borneo.
Peninsular Malaysia borders on the north with Thailand.
Malaysia is a
tropical land, much of which is covered by dense rainforests. It is the world's
largest producer of natural rubber and palm oil (vegetable oil from palm tree nuts). Malays
and Chinese people make up most of the country's population. Kuala Lumpur is
Malaysia's capital and largest city.
The nation of
Malaysia was formed in 1963, when Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah, and Singapore
united. Malaya was an independent nation that occupied what is now Peninsular
Malaysia. Sarawak and Sabah were separate colonies of the United Kingdom (UK)
that covered what is now the Malaysian region of Sarawak and Sabah. Singapore
was a UK colony, south of Malaya. Singapore withdrew from Malaysia in 1965.
People
Population and ethnic groups. For Malaysia's
total population, see the Malaysia in brief table with this article. About three-fifths of the
people live in rural areas. More than 80 per cent of the people live in
Peninsular Malaysia.
Malaysia's
largest population groups are, in order of size, the Malays, Chinese, and
Indians. Malays make up about 50 per cent of the population, Chinese about 35
per cent, and Indians about 10 per cent. A number of other ethnic groups who
live chiefly in Sarawak and Sabah make up the rest of the population. The
largest groups in Sarawak and Sabah are the Dyaks and the Ka- dazans (see
Dyaks).
Malaysia's
ethnic groups speak separate languages or dialects, and, in many areas, have
different ways of life and hold different religious beliefs. Malays make up the
most powerful group in Malaysian politics, but the Chinese control much of the
nation's economy. Despite differences between the major ethnic groups which
have led to friction and, sometimes, violence, Malaysia is a model of racial
harmony.
Languages. Bahasa Malaysia, the Malay language, is used by the Malay
people and Malaysians generally in everyday life. It is the country's official
language (see Malay).
Most Chinese
speak the Chinese language, and most Indians speak Tamil. Many Malaysians also
understand English, which is widely used in business.
Way of life. Peninsular Malaysia includes many crowded
cities as well as large rural regions. Sarawak and Sabah has several large
towns along the coast and rivers, but the interior is chiefly a rural area.
The majority of
the country's Malays live in rural areas on the peninsula. Most of them work as
farmers and live in settlements called kampungs. Many houses in rural areas are made of wood.
Most have thatched roofs, but some have roofs made of tiles. Some houses are
raised above the ground on stilts. Most Malays who live in cities work in
industry or in government jobs.
Most of
Malaysia's Chinese people live in cities. Large numbers of them work in shops,
business offices, and factories. Chinese people own a large proportion of Malaysia's
businesses. Wealthy and middle-class Chinese live in suburban homes or
high-rise blocks of flats in central city areas. In the cities, some low-income
Chinese as well as Malays and Indians live in crowded, rundown areas.
Large numbers of
Malaysia's Indians work on rubber plantations. Many others hold city jobs.
Most people of
Sarawak and Sabah live in small settlements in rural areas. Several families
often live together in long houses along rivers. Many of these families struggle to
produce enough food for their own use.
Clothing. Traditional costumes are not often worn in the
towns and cities. The men tend to wear Western shirts and trousers outside
their homes, adding ties and coats for official functions. Bushjackets are also
worn, mostly by government officials. For casual wear, Western styles are
preferred, particularly by young people.
Few Chinese
women wear the cheongsam, a traditional highcollared, tightly fitting
dress with slits at the sides. Older women prefer the more comfortable sam- foo, which consists of a jacket and trousers. Many
Indian women like to wear saris.
See India (Clothing).
At home, many
Malay men still relax in sarongs. A
sarong is a length of cloth, the two sides of which are sewn together to form
a very loose sheath. A man wears it wrapped around his body and secured by a
doublefold at the waist. It reaches to his ankles. He may wear a shirt or a
singlet with it or he may prefer to go around with a bare chest. In rural areas
on hot days, some older women sit around their homes wearing sarongs tied just
under their arms. Younger women wear sarongs in this way only when they bathe at
the river or well.
Most Malaysian
men reserve traditional dress for religious or ceremonial occasions. Many
women wear their various traditional costumes very often, and some every day.
Quite a number of women experiment with modified versions of dress that embody
traditional designs from other local and foreign cultures.
Malay
traditional dress for men consists of a baju— a roundnecked or highcollared longsleeved
shirt. They also wear seluar
(trousers) with a sarong wrapped smartly around the waist and hips, and a black
songkok (boat-shaped velvet cap) or a tanjak (elegant cloth headdress) for special
occasions. Some Malay men wear sarongs to the mosque, and instead of songkoks
they may wear ketayaps (white skull caps) for such occasions. Many
men who have been on a pilgrimage to Mecca wear serban haji (pilgrims' turbans). A number of Muslim men
of all races wear robes and turbans.
For Malay women,
the traditional costumes most widely worn are the sarong, the baju kurung, and the baju kebaya. The baju kurung is like the baju for men. It
is tied with gathers on one side, and the outfit is completed with a selendang (shawl) or tudung (scarf) around the shoulders or on the head.
Some Malay women who have gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca wear special headdresses
similar to those worn by male counterparts.
Food. Multicultural Malaysia has a variety of delicious cuisines (styles of cooking). People in the cities can
dine at French and Italian restaurants as well as eating local Malay, Chinese,
or Indian food.
Chinese cuisine in Malaysia comes from different
provinces of China, and is extremely varied. But boiled rice is the basis of
the daily diet of most Chinese. See China (Food).
Most Indians
like highly spiced food. Rice is the main food of people from south India.
Wheat flour is the main food of families from north India. See India (Food).
Malay cooking
varies from state to state but the main dish is rice, usually boiled and eaten
with vegetables, fish or other seafood, chicken, or meat. Pork is forbidden by
Islam, the religion of most Malays. Chillies, coconut milk, onions, spices,
and tamarind are frequently used in Malay cooking. Popular dishes from
different states include the asam pedas (fish with hot chillies and sourish gravy) ot Johor
and the ayam percik (chicken in thick coconut-milk gravy) of
Kelantan. One Malay appetizer is ulam—
shoots, leaves, or fruit dipped in or eaten with samba/(pounded chillies and shrimp paste).
Rice, after
being boiled, is often fried with chillies, onions, and ikan bilis (anchovies) to make nasigoreng (fried rice). Other variations on plain boiled
rice include nasilemak (boiled rice in coconut milk and eaten with sambil tunis, a preparation of chillies, anchovies, and
coconut milk); nasi
ulam (rice mixed
with herbs and salted fish); and nasi dagang (rice mixed with thick gravy and fish) of
Terengganu. Rice is sometimes boiled in small cases woven out of coconut-leaves
to make ketupat. This is eaten with rendang (beef or chicken cooked over a slow fire in
coconut milk, with chillies and certain condiments until the gravy thickens and
dries into a delicious coating), or at any time with satay (small pieces of chicken or meat skewered on
bamboo sticks and baked over a charcoal fire). Satay is coated with thick peanut gravy. Many
Malays like satay dipped in chilli sauce.
Religion. Islam is the national religion but the Malaysian
Constitution guarantees freedom of worship. The number of different religions
in Malaysia is proof of religious tolerance in the country. As well as mosques (Islamic places of worship), there are many
Hindu and Buddhist temples and Christian churches throughout Malaysia. In fact,
the main religions of the world, with their rituals, customs, and festivals are
dominant features of Malaysia's multiracial culture.
About a dozen
national holidays are governed by the Muslim calendar which varies from year to
year in relation to the Western calendar. The main holidays of the Chinese and
Christian years are also observed.
The majority of
Malays are Muslims, belonging to the Sunni sect of Islam (see Islam). Regular
daily prayers and mosque attendance is an important feature of Islam. Muslims
also have a religious duty to pay alms to help the needy.
Hari Raya Puasa is the major Muslim festival. It marks the
end of the fasting month of Ramadan, a
time of strict observances, when eating and drinking in daylight hours are
forbidden. Every year, thousands of Muslim Malays perform the haj (pilgrimage) to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca
and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The majority of
Malaysian Indians are Hindus. There is a small Sikh community. The two main
Hindu festivals are Deepavali
(Festival of Lights) and Thaipusam. Deepavali commemorates the overthrow of a tyrant
king named Naragasuran. Thaipusam is a colourful festival connected with the
fulfilment of vows.
Buddhism has a
substantial following among the Chinese. Wesak Day is an important festival
commemorating the three great events in the life of Buddha, namely his birth,
enlightenment, and death.
The main
Christian denomination is Roman Catholicism. In addition there are small
numbers of Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, and other denominations. Christian
missions played a leading role in educating the people during the time when
Peninsular Malaysia was a British colony.
Education. The system of formal education in Malaysia
consists of four levels graded according to the age of the students. The four
levels are primary, secondary (lower and upper), post-secondary, and tertiary.
Children in
Malaysia begin primary education at the age of 6 and continue for 6 years.
There are three types of primary schools. The national primary school uses
Malay as the language of instruction. Chinese and Tamil schools use Chinese and
Tamil respectively as the basic language. More than 90 per cent of children of
primary school age complete primary education.
In lower
secondary school the main subjects are Bahasa Malaysia (the Malay language), art, English, general
science, geography, history, health and physical education, living skills, and
moral or Islamic education.
After three
years students sit for the Lower Sijil Rendah Pelalaran (Certificate of Education) examination. Successful
students, who continue for two years of Upper Secondary education, take the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (Malaysian Certificate of Education) or the Sijil Pelajaran Vokasiona!Malaysia (Malaysian Certificate of Vocational
Education). Students who wish to go to university then study for two more years
and sit the Sijil
Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (Malaysian Higher School Certificate) examination.
Malaysia has
seven universities. The oldest is the University of Malaya. It was founded in
Kuala Lumpur in 1959 although it can trace its origins back to the King Edward
VII College of Medicine, established in 1905, the Raffles College which began
in Singapore in 1929, and the University of Malaya, in Singapore, which began
in 1949. The University of Technology Malaysia and the University of
Agriculture Malaysia, founded in the early 1970's, also originated from earlier
institutions.
The University
of Science in Penang opened in 1969 and the Universiti Kebangsaan (National University) in Bangi began in 1970.
In 1982, the government assisted in founding the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (International Islamic University) in
Petaling Jaya. In 1984, the Universiti Utara (Northern University) opened in Kedah.
Two other
important institutions for higher education are Majlis Amanah RakyatiMARA) (Trust Council for the Indigenous
People) Institute of Technology, and Tunku Abdul Rahman College. They offer a
wide range of semi- professional and professional courses, leading to certificates or diplomas. They also otter degree-level courses jointly with universities
in the United States. The Ministry of Education also runs a number of
polytechnics and 27 teacher training colleges. Total student enrolment in the
universities and colleges in Malaysia is about 80,000. The government bears
over 95 per cent of the cost of university education in Malaysia.
National celebrations. August 31 is celebrated as Malaysia's national
day to mark the country's independence. Parades and exhibitions are held to
celebrate this event. Another important national celebration is held to mark
the birthday of the yang
di-pertuan agong
(king of Malaysia) on June 5.
Several
important religious festivals are celebrated nationwide by all Malaysians. But
most have special significance for the particular ethnic group.
The Malays who
are Muslims celebrate festivals of the religion of Islam throughout Malaysia.
Ramadan is marked each year by fasting from sunrise to sunset.
The Hindus of
Malaysia celebrate the festivals of Deepavali and Thaipusam. Chosen people walk
on paths of fire with no apparent ill effects. Others have their skin pierced
with long needles. They carry heavy religious ornaments over great distances
into the temples. The Batu Caves, just outside Kuala Lumpur, are the main centre
for the annual Thaipusam festival.
The main Chinese
religious festival is held to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year. It
usually falls in late January or early February. The celebrations start on the
first day of the new moon after the winter solstice (see Solstice). Families pray together. They
thank the gods for the year gone by. They also celebrate with noisy rejoicing
and feasting. The Chinese exchange gifts wrapped in red paper. They consider
red a lucky colour. They let off firecrackers, light candles, burn joss sticks,
and pray for their ancestors.
Another
important event in the Chinese year is the moon festival. The celebrations
begin on the 15th day of the 8th moon of the year. City dwellers join in the
celebrations. But it is essentially a time of thanksgiving for the harvest.
They eat moon cakes and other delicacies at this festival time.
Christmas is a
special time for both Christians and non-Christians in Malaysia. Hotels and
shopping complexes have Christmas trees and other decorations.
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Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is called KL by locals.
Its modern skyline is dominated by the 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers, a pair
of glass-and-steel-clad skyscrapers with Islamic motifs. The towers also offer
a public skybridge and observation deck. The city is also home to British
colonial-era landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan
Abdul Samad Building.
Malaysia: 28.28 million (2010)
Singapore: 5.077 million (2010)
Jakarta: 9.608 million (2010)
Bandung: 2.395 million (2010)Manila: 1.6522 million (2010)
Bangkok: 6.3511 million (2000)
Kuala Lumpur (pop: 1.589 million (2010)) is the largest city and capital of Malaysia. It is also
the country's most important commercial centre.
The city of Kuala Lumpur occupies just
over one-third of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. It lies in the Kelang
Valley, midway between George Town and Singapore. For the location of the city
of Kuala Lumpur, see Malaysia (map).
The city. The Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area includes several old settlements
such as Kepong, Gombak, Ampang, and Sungai Besi. All of these former towns now
have new housing estates.
The rapid growth of the city has caused
several problems, including population pressure on land and roads, inadequate
housing and public transport, and shortage of recreational space.
Parliament House and government ministries
are west of the Kelang River. Skyscrapers in the northern and western sections
of the city house the headquarters of major Malaysian companies and banks as
well as those of multinational corporations and international hotels. There are
several universities and colleges in and around the city.
The city has many places of worship for
people of various religions. Malays are Muslims and the National Mosque can
accommodate many thousands of people. There are also many Christian churches
and Hindu and Buddhist temples.
Kuala Lumpur is a medium-size capital city
which blends its colonial past with traditional shops and modern skyscrapers.
Petaling Street is the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur. It is a typical Chinese
business district with traditional covered footways and shophouses, which have shops on the ground floor and family homes upstairs. The
shops and street stalls offer a variety of goods, food, fruit, and souvenirs.
The street becomes a pedestrian area at sunset, crowded with shoppers and
tourists looking for bargains. Many types of traditional products, such as batik,
pewterware, and handicrafts, are also available in these shops and night
markets (see Batik). There is a handicraft centre containing traditional Malay houses which
present and sell the crafts of each of the Malaysian states.
To the west of Kuala Lumpur is Petaling
Jaya, the first new town (specially planned town) of Malaysia and a sprawling residential
industrial and commercial centre. Its middle-class community commutes daily to
work in the city. Petaling Jaya is now the fifth largest town in the country,
with a population of more than 200,000.
Places of interest. Along Jalan Sultan Hishamudin are several of the city's most distinctive
architectural landmarks. Three buildings feature Moorish architectural styles
with curving arches, domes, or minarets. These buildings include the old city
hall, which was completed in 1897. The railway station and the Malayan Railway
Administration Building date from the early 1900's. The Sultan Abdul Samad
Building, where the state secretariat was formerly housed, was completed in
1897. It has a 43-metre copper-sheathed clock tower.
The National Museum is a striking building
based on old Malay-style architecture. It has displays relating to Malaysian
arts and crafts and history as well as the country's birds and mammals.
The National Monument is located in the
Lake Gardens. This bronze sculpture commemorates the triumph of democracy over
the Communist terrorism which had led to the proclamation of a state of
emergency in 1948.
The six-tiered Theau Hou Temple, on a hill
slope just outside the city centre, is one of the biggest Chinese temples in
Southeast Asia.
The National Zoo has about 200 species of
mammals, birds, and reptiles, from Malaysia and other countries. It also has an
aquarium with more than 80 species of aquatic animals.
People. The population of Kuala Lumpur consists of Chinese,
320,000 Malays, 140,000 Indians, and others. The population has increased to
more than three times its level at the time of Malayan independence in 1957.
The food of Kuala Lumpur reflects the variety of the multiracial population.
In roadside shops and in hotels, dishes available include food from Malays,
Chinese, Indians, and other ethnic groups.
History. Kuala Lumpur, means "muddy river mouth."
It derives its name from its location at
the meeting place of the Kelang and Gombak rivers. Founded as a tin mining
settlement in 1859, it became the capital of Selangor in 1887 and of the
Federated Malay States of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, and Pahang in 1896.
Prosperity developed from the success of
mining and rubber planting. Kuala Lumpur became a centre of commerce and
transport, and acquired its cosmopolitan character with Malay settlers, Chinese
shopkeepers, Indian labourers, British administrators, and Arab traders.
Kuala Lumpur progressed from a town
council in 1898 to a municipality in 1948. It became the capital of the
Federation of Malaya in 1957 and of Malaysia in 1963. In 1972, it was proclaimed
a city and in 1974 it formed the core city of the Federal Territory of Kuala
Lumpur. See also Kuala Lumpur (federal territory); Malaysia.
(Note: Theau Hou Temple stands
on a hillside just beyond the central area of Kuala Lumpur City. Built in six
tiers, it is one of the largest Chinese temples in Southeast Asia.)
