Lack of research on collective Malaysian experience, says lecturer

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a lack of research on collective experiences of Malaysians, says a Universiti Malaya researcher.

Dr Ngu Ik Tien said the people in Malaysia, although consisting of different races, shared many things in common.

She said this included food, children’s games such as hopscotch and places of breakfast frequented by all regardless of one’s race or religion.The Chinese Studies senior lecturer said in the past, most academic works seemed to emphasise on individual race instead of Malaysians as a whole.

Ngu said she hoped that young scholars could come up with some research themes from the Malaysian aspect.

“We can have our collective memories instead of academic works such as on the dances and songs of individual races.

“No doubt, this cultural heritage is important and distinctive, but we need something ‘Malaysian’,” she added.

Taking her home state as an example, Ngu said in Sarawak, the people felt strongly about their regional identity as Sarawakians instead of emphasising on race.

She said the coexistence of different races should be accepted.

“We are living together in peace while preserving our own characteristics,” she said during her presentation on the “State, Ethnic Relations and Malaysian Chinese” at the “Development and Future of Sinology in the 21st Century” conference here yesterday.

Ngu said the South-East Asian region, before colonialism, was an open area where people of various ethnicities, religions and cultures gathered to do business.“It was peaceful and diverse,” she said, adding this part of history should be highlighted to promote national unity.