PEMBENTUKAN MASYARAKAT MAJEMUK MALAYSIA: MIGRASI KOLONIAL, SEGREGASI ETNIK, DAN WARISAN SOSIO-POLITIK

Abstract

This study examines the formation of Malaysia's plural society through the lens of migration and colonialism, spanning from the 15th century to the post-independence era. Employing qualitative historical analysis of archival and secondary sources, it identifies critical phases of demographic transformation. Pre-colonial Malaya featured a predominantly Malay, Orang Asli, and indigenous Bornean society under the Malacca Sultanate, with an agrarian and spice-trade economy. British colonialism (late 18th century to 1957) fundamentally altered this structure by instigating large-scale migration of Chinese and Indian labourers through exploitative recruitment systems. This influx created entrenched patterns of ethnic occupational segregation, concentrating Chinese labour in tin mining and Indian labour in rubber plantations, alongside significant spatial separation in settlements. Post-independence, this colonial legacy became a primary source of socio-political tension. Policies aimed at addressing ethnic economic disparities, notably the Bumiputera-focused New Economic Policy (NEP) initiated after major ethnic riots, struggled to overcome deep-seated inequalities inherited from the colonial period. Contemporary settlement patterns continue to reflect historical spatial divisions. The study concludes that the complex interplay of colonial migration policies, ethnic segregation, and identity construction, particularly the institutionalization of the bumiputera concept, underpins persistent socio-economic and political challenges. Achieving meaningful multicultural reconciliation necessitates deconstructing this colonial legacy through inclusive policy reforms and integrative education, moving beyond merely managing ethnic diversity towards fostering a genuinely shared national identity.