49. Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (born 1925)

Biodata

• Name: Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad (1925) 
• Qualifications: MBBS 1953 UM Singapore
• Date of birth: 10 July 1925
• Place of birth: At home in a Malay-styled wooden house at No. 18, Lorong Kilang Ais,adjacent to Jalan Pegawai, Seberang Perak, Alor Setar, Kedah
• Officially registered date of birth: Friday, 20 December 1925
• Youngest of 9 children - a tenth had died at birth
• Nickname "Che Det"
• Ustaz Zakaria Muhammad Nor taught him Quran

Education 

• Attended Sekolah Melayu Lelaki Seberang Perak, Alor Setar (1930-1932)
• noted as a hard-working and bright student
• World War II (WWII)/Japanese Occupation (1941-1945) disrupted his studies.
• sold banana fritters (goreng pisang) at Pekan Rabu (Wednesday market) to help his family
• Attended Government English School, Alor Setar, Kedah
• completed Senior Cambridge in December 1946.

Medical Education

• Attended King Edward VII Medical School, Singapore (1947-1953)
• active with students' activities on campus
• first Malay doctor from Kedah to graduate from KE VII Medical School, Singapore, 1953

Government Service 

• Housemanship at General Hospital Penang (1953-1954)
• Medical Officer (MO) at General Hospital Alor Setar, Langkawi and Perlis (1955-1957)
• not allowed to further his studies in Surgery. Therefore, quit govt service in Oct 1957

Private Practice

• Entered private practice in Alor Setar, Kedah (after 1957)
• Operated MAHA Klinik in Jalan Tunku Ibrahim, Alor Setar, Kedah (first Malay private clinic in Kedah)
• Juggled clinic practice and politics, and became known as "Doktor UMNO"

Political Involvement

• Member SABERKAS 1945
• Member UMNO 1946
• Member of Parliament (MP) 1964
• Senator 1973
• Minister of Education (1974-1976) (visited TKC in Seremban)
• Deputy Prime Minister 1976 (Tun Hussien Onn was PM)
• Prime Minister (1981-2003) (Malaysia's 4th PM)

Transformation of Malaysia

•  model nation for underdeveloped & developing countries
• Educational Policy & Reform (1968-1976)
• Minister of Trade and Industry 1978
• Chairman of NITC (1995), NTC (1996) and NEAC (1998)
• Governor of IDB Malaysia (2001)
• Board Member of Khazanah Nasional Bhd (2003)
• Advisor of LADA and Tioman Dev. Board (2003)
• Advisor of PETRONAS (2003)
• Global Economic Depression (GED) 1997
• Position on the IMF
• Several new projects
• Several investment promotion missions overseas
• Vision: Look East Policy (Japan, South Korea and China)
• Vision 2020: To make Malaysia a developed nation? Or industrial nation?
• From Jabatan Penerangan - Perdana Menteri

Author's Notes

1. When did he become "keenly interested in politics?" There are two different years in the published literature: 1) since 1945 after completing Senior Cambridge and 2) after he completed his Senior Cambridge in December 1946. Query: Could be circa 1945-1946, by the time he sat for Senior Cambridge.
2. Duration of each appointment is unstated/undated or improperly dated, except for a few. Query
3. Large info gap exists between 1978 and 1998, after he was Minister of Trade and Industry. 
4. What happened between 1978 and prior to 1997?
5. The Global Economic Depression (GED) hit the world in 1997. He had refused IMF aid for Malaysia. Query: Why did he refuse terms of the IMF? How did Malaysia fare during the 1997 GED?
6. How did Malaysia pull out of the 1997 GED? Answer: He had spearheaded several projects and led several investment promotion missions overseas. 
7. What & where were the overseas projects? How many? How many were successful? Examples? 
8. What & where were the investment promotion missions overseas? How many? How many were successful? Examples?
9. What is the aim of Vision 2020? To make Malaysia a developed nation or an industrial nation? Does it make any difference if Malaysia became both developed and industrialised? Will it matter if Malaysia became developed but not industrialised? Will it matter if Malaysia became highly industrialised but not fully developed? Will it matter if Malaysia compromises and achieved 50% of its full potential, i.e., 50% industrialised and 50% developed? Will its working population be affected in any way? What are the positive signs that we will be able to attain Vision 2020 (this year is 2011; another 9 years to go)?
10. What is University 2020? Why are the universities linked to or made a part of Vision 2020? 
11. Why must we change/transform the universities and the university system? What is the relation of changing the universities to Vision 2020? Aren't universities meant to be autonomous and chart their own academic activities? Isn't forcing universities to transform/change/adapt causing undue stress on an already strained academic workforce? Are our academics happy to be forced to transform/change/adapt? What are the signs or outcome so far? Did the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) reward USM because it was able to demonstrate it was most fit to transform and had readied some transformation plans. How successful is USM so far in meeting the expected KIPs and KPIs? How are the other 3 IPTAs performing? UM has far exceeded USM and is vying for APEX University status in the next round of APEX University appraisal. How successful will USM be in retaining its hot seat as the #1 APEX University at the next appraisal which should be anytime soon? The APEX University status also has to deal with a thin economy. How much longer can USM withstand the onslaught of a thin economy before its dreams collapses? How long before the entire Malaysian university system fall victim to this thin economy that we are experiencing since 2007 GED? Can universities function realistically with unrealistic insufficient funding? Why are universities expected to become revenue-generating when academia is about teaching, learning and research? Most academics are in academia and the universities because they don't want to deal with $$$-dealing jobs. Where does the $ term come into the equation for university academics? Have we fallen victim to money politics within the universities? Is this a spillover from local politics? Are we going to accept this defeat and not say anything? Just keep quiet? Why aren't we brave enough to say we will function by underpaying the lecturers & professors at the universities and we will try to upgrade their pay & give them perks to match those of nearby nations (Singapore & Australia) when we overcome the 2007 GED, if that occurs (that's 3 years now). Why have an APEX-rated university with kampung-rate paycheck? Something is not right somewhere....we are being bullied! H....E....L....P!!!!
12. He became a Board Member to one & also Advisor to two (altogether three) high-revenue generating companies in the final year that he stepped down as the 4th PM. Query: Why did he hold top posts in the 3 big companies when he was anticipating stepping-down the same year? In prognostic terms, is this 'medically' professionally ethical?

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Reference: Politicised by War and Peace

http://www.palgrave.com/PDFs/9780230238732.pdf

1. Father: Mohamad bin Iskandar, Penang Malay, his father's second marriage.
2. Mother: Wan Tempawan bt Wan Hanafi, Penang Malay, his mother's second marriage.
3. Paternal grandfather: Iskandar, probably emigrated from Kerala in Southern India to British Malaya. Dr Mahathir has never met his grandfather as he died before Mahathir was born.
4. Paternal grandmother (Iskandar's wife): Siti Hawa

FROM OTHER BLOGS

Devology: http://devology.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/tun-dr-mahathir-mohamed/

1. Previous names of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed were MAHATHIR S/O ISKANDAR KUTTY @ MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMED. Now spelled as Mahathir bin Mohamad.
2. Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamed’s real name is Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty. He was born Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty and named Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty @Mahathir Mohamed.

Koleksi Minda Mahathir

http://ecommerce.itbm.com.my/ms/catalog/32/koleksimindamahathir

Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC)
http://www.thefullwiki.org/Kolej_Sultan_Abdul_Hamid

Interviewed by Siti Nurhaliza
- regarding his childhood
- regarding social media (Facebook)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=1eO71YBDE-I

Other photos of him and wife on Facebook
Mahdi bin Mahbol

Other links
http://penatokoh.blogspot.my/2014/01/tokoh-tun-dr-mahathir-mohamad.html

Other portraits

IC on Internet

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad

50. Dr Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali (born 1926)

Biodata

Dr Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali (born 1926)

MBBS 1955 UM S'pore

Date of birth: 12 July 1926

Place of birth: Klang, Selangor 

Education

1. Methodist Girls' School (MGS) 1932-33
2. St Mary's School 1934-41
3. Malay Girls' School in Kg Baru, KL; weekend school for 3 years
4. Senior Cambridge Exams in Dec 1941. She was 16 yo.

Wartime

• Ali Sisters played for radio
• They sang, played violin and piano.
• Saleha sang. Siti Jame'ah played piano. Siti Hasmah played violin.

Postwar

• Completed school after war at Pudu English School, KL. She obtained her school certificate in 1946.
• She chose to study medicine instead of journalism.

Undergraduate Medical Education

• She was 21
• Attended King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore
• Went by train with her mother in October 1947
• Enrolled at KE VII 1947-1955
• Record of students at KE VII
• 75 medical students
• 1 Malay girl
• 6 Malay boys: 
•      Ariffin b Ngah Marzuki 1947-1953
•     Mahathir b Mohamad 1947-1953
•     Mohamed Noor b Marahakim 1947-1953
•     Mohamed bin Abdul Kadir LMS 1954
•     Sheikh Raihan b Hamzah LMS 1954
•     Ahmad b Haji Othman LMS 1955
•     Shamsuddin b Abdul Rahman LMS 1955

• Salma bt Ismail completed her finals at the same College.
• Dr Siti Hasmah graduated with MBBS at the Faculty of Medicine, UM Singapore, Class of 1955

Government Service

• HO GHKL 1955-56
• **Married 5 August 1956**
• MO GH Alor Star 1956-60
• Focus: Traditional practices during post-partum
• MOH in North Kedah, Principal of Rural Health Training School in Jitra 1965
• Mak's WHO International Cert of Vaccination 1967 (3 pages)

Postgraduate

• Family Planning, at Population Planning Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA 1966
• Health Education Course, Manila Philippines 1973

Resumed Government Service

• MCHO of Kedah 1974
• Focus: family planning
• National Family Planning Board (NFPB) - now National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) or Lembaga Perancang & Kesihatan Keluarga

Retired

• Worked 1955-1978 (23 years)
• Retired 1979 when Mahathir became 4th PM (1981-2003) and 7th PM (2018-2019)

Contributions to Society

1. Anti-Drug Abuse Campaigns
2. Anti-Smoking Campaigns
3. Mental Health
4. Adult Literacy Campaigns
5. Family Planning
6. Maternal and Child Health
7. Children with Special Needs
8. Rural Women
9. Asian Women
10. Girl Guides
11. Malaysian Medical Association Foundation
12. Malaysian Female Graduates Association
13. Rumah Insaniah Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, Petaling Jaya

Publications

6

1. Hasmah binte M. Ali. Effect on a basic attitude—health. Intisari 1(4):27-36, 1963. 
2. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohd. Ali. Some aspects of traditional health attitudes and practices in rural areas. Report of the National Seminar on The Role of Specialists in Promoting Family Health, 12-18 August 1973, Pulau Pinang; pp. 85-90.
3. Siti Hasmah Hj Mohd Ali. Adat, kesihatan dan wanita. Jilid 1. Maternal and Child Health Division, Institute of Public Health, Kuala Lumpur, 1978; 96 p.
4. Siti Hasmah Hj Mohd Ali. Adat, kesihatan dan wanita. Jilid 2. Maternal and Child Health Division, Institute of Public Heath, Kuala Lumpur, 1979; 81 p.
5. Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. Wanita, Adat dan Kesihatan, Volumes 1 & 2. Published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia, 1985.
6. Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. My Name is Hasmah. 1 September 2016. ISBN 978-967-86-0738-4. Published by Alaf 21. Website: www.alaf21.com.my and mall.karangkraf.com.

Honours and Awards

• SSDK 1956-1974 Kedah 
• SSM Tun 30 Oct 2003
• Professor Kazue McLaren LeadershipAchievement  Award 1988 Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health
• Hon. Ph.D. (Medical Sciences) 1991 UKM
• Hon. Ph.D. (Public Health) 1994 Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
• Hon. Ph.D. (Law) 1994 U of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• Chancellor of Multimedia University of Malaysia (MMU) 20 June 1997
• Hon. Ph.D. (Social Work Management) 31 July 2006 UUM
• George F. Hixon Fellowship Award by Kiwanis International 15 May 2006
• Orchid Dendobium Siti Hasmah, Singapore Botanic Gardens 1981
• Tun Dr Siti Hasmah VIP Lounge, Women's Institute of Management (Wisma WIM) in KL 19 Dec 2014
• Anugerah Khas Srikandi Negara 2014

Recreation

Played violin, piano, sang

Family

She is no. 7 of 13 siblings

Her family moved to KL when she was 3 years old.

Her siblings:

1. Mohd Noor
2. Ismail
3. Saleha
4. Abdul Aziz
5. Abdul Rahman (deceased young)
6. Siti Jame'ah
7. Siti Hasmah
8. Ahmad Razali
9. twins Omar and Halimah (deceased at childhood)
10. twins Omar and Halimah
11. Jaffar
12. Mohamed Hashim
13. Zainal Abidin 

Union and children

Married on 5 August 1956

7 children (4 sons, 3 daughters):

1. Marina
2. Mirzan
3. Melinda
4. Mokhzani
5. Mukhriz
6. Mazhar
7. Maizura

1. Datin Paduka Marina bt Mahathir (b.9 June 1957) is the eldest child. She graduated from the University of Sussex, England. She is a socio-political activist, blogger, writer, and campaigns for women’s rights. She leads many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Malaysian AIDS Foundation. She writes for a column in The Star newspaper. She was married to Didier Roussille and they have a daughter, Ineza Roussille. She remarried to Tara Sosrowardoyo, an Indonesian photographer, and they have two daughters and a son.
2. Mirzan bin Mahathir (b.1958) is a businessman. He graduated with a BSc (Honours) in Computer Science from Brighton Polytechnic, UK in 1982. He obtained his Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA in 1987. He initially worked with IBM World Trade Corporation for three years. He has wide experience in investment and banking from working with Solomon Brothers Group for four years. He then ventured into business in 1990. He was appointed to Lembaga Konsortium Logistik Berhad in September 1992—this included Pos Malaysia. The Konsortium was listed in KLSE in January 1996. He holds a major share in the Konsortium, where he was Chairman and Executive President till 2007. He is Chairman and CEO of Crescent Capital, Malaysia’s investment with a strategic investment advisory and free monetary firm, which he founded. He has many affiliations such as Emerson Radio Corporation in USA, San Miguel Corporation in the Philippines, AHB Holdings Berhad, Pelikan Holding AG, Petron Corporation, Konsortium Logistik Berhad, Nakamichi Corp Berhad, Lafe Corp Ltd, Dataprep Holdings Berhad, Worldwide Holdings Berhad, Dolomite Corp Berhad, and Sunway Building Technology Berhad. He married Jane Husainy and has three sons and a daughter. 
3. Melinda (adopted) married Wan Adlil Wan Daud and has two daughters.
4. Tan Sri Dato’ Mokhzani bin Mahathir (b.2 January 1961) was educated at MRSM (Maktab Rendah Sains MARA) at Pengkalan Chepa in Kelantan. He has a B.Sc. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA (1987). He is a businessman and petroleum engineer. He founded Kencana Petroleum, where he was CEO and Executive Director. Kencana Petroleum produced heavy industrial equipment for the petroleum industry. He worked as petroleum engineer before Kencana Petroleum merged with SapuraCrest to form SapuraKencana Petroleum in 2012, and later Sapura Energy Berhad. SapuraCrest is Malaysia’s largest oil and gas services company. He is a founding member of SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad, and the sole owner of Kencana Capital Sdn Bhd. He later sold his shares in Sapura Energy Berhad. He was Chairman of Sepang International circuit (SIC) for 13 years (2003-2016). He is the new president of Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM). He is the Chairman of Opcom Holdings Berhad, which won the Rakan Unifi contract from Telekom Malaysia (TM) for Unifi services. He was Board Director for Maxis and Royal Automotive Club of Malaysia. He was active in politics till 2006 and was Treasurer of UMNO Youths. He left politics in 2007. He was included in Forbes’ 2017 list of ‘Malaysia’s 50 Richest’, with a net worth of US$420 million (RM1.8 billion). He married Mastisa Hani Mohamed and has two daughters.
5. Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz bin Mahathir (b.25 November 1964) was educated at MRSM at Pengkalan Chepa in Kelantan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan in 1982. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Boston University in Massachusetts, USA in 1989. He is a businessman, politician and was Menteri Besar of Kedah (2013-16; 2018-2020). Prior to this, he was the federal Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (2008-13). He is affiliated with several companies such as Opcom Holdings, Kosmo Tech, and Malaysian Franchise Association. He was the Executive Director of Perdana Peace Global Organisation. He left UMNO in 2016. He is the Deputy President of Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Parti Primbumi Bersatu Malaysia or PPBM). He is the Chairman of Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in Kedah. He married Datin Paduka Norzieta bt Zakaria on 14 November 1993 and they have four children.
6. Mazhar (adopted) acted in theatre.
7. Maizura (adopted at six months in 1983) graduated from Lim Kok Wing University.

51. Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin (1925-2008)

Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin (1925-2008)

MBBS 1956 UM Singapore

Date of birth: 11 June 1925

Place of birth: Bagan Serai, Perak

Date of death: 22 December 2008

Place of death: ICU, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Malaya, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Burial: Bukit Kiara


He was remembered by an elderly female Malay patient whom I met at Masjid Kepala Batas, Kedah, sometime after my book was published in 2012. She was on her way to go to Makkah to perform the Hajj and had stopped at Masjid Kepala Batas for briefings about the Hajj rite.

Masjid Kepala Batas, Kedah

52. Dr Ungku Omar bin Ungku Ahmad (1931-1969)

Dr Ungku Omar bin Ungku Ahmad (1931-1969)
MBBS 1957 UM

Date of birth: 18 January 1931
Place of birth: Johor Bahru
Date of death: 15 February 1969
Place of death: At home

Looking for photos of Bangsar Hospital

I received an e-mail from Arasu via Boxbe at this blog on Sunday, 9 January 2011 at 11:39 am. It was a request by Arasu for photos of Bangsar Hospital.

Arasu was born at Bangsar Hospital in 1952. He is looking for photographs of Bangsar Hospital from early 1900's till 1965.

Please share photos of Bangsar Hospital if you have any in your albums.

Thank you.

-----------------------
Update 3 March 2011

Mr Arasu has found photos of Bangsar Hospital at the National Archives in Kuala Lumpur (Arkib Negara Malaysia).

Here is the link to Mr Arasu in Facebook and photos of Bangsar Hospital with captions/narratives:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1890278056093&set=a.1890260255648&type=3&theater

Keep your comments coming about birth/life at Bangsar Hospital.

Thank you

"Doktor" in the Malay context

What does the word "doktor" mean to the Malays?

Guess how many "early" Malay doctors we had?

Friday, 7 January 2011   2:06:18 PM

THE EARLY MALAY DOCTORS
How many doctors were there altogether?

Let’s clarify and qualify a few things first before we try to answer that jackpot question.

"Early" here refers to the period during British Malaya (1856-1957), before our country gained Independence.

"Malay doctors" here includes both the allopathic and homeopathic doctors, and dentists. I will explain (in another post) why I have lumped all three categories together.

"Malaya" generally refers to the common name of our country between 1856 and 1963. After that Malaya became Malaysia. On another note, in the past, “Malaya” also referred to peninsular Malaysia (some call it West Malaysia today).

“Tanah Melayu” literally means lands where people of the Malay ethnic group are habitually found or predominate as they breed, live and have become acculturated. The region can be vast, covering the entire Malay Archipelago stretching east-west from the Indian subcontinent to the Polynesian islands and stretching north-south from the interior of mainland China to the northern territorial lands of Australia. This means we can expect to find the Malay people mainly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines, and less numbers in Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and all the islands in this region.

We must remember our past history that there were many migrations of mainly traders who made it mainly by sea, to Malaya (now Malaysia).

Through years of migration, the various migrant populations (Indians, Chinese and Europeans) have successfully assimilated with the local Malays. Their offspring were initially categorised as “Peranakan.” Now, with better understanding of our history and all migrant Muslims are categorised as “Malay.”

In the light of all the clues provided above, try to answer these history questions:

1.      How many early Malay doctors did we have?

2.      How many early Malay doctors were serving in Malaya prior to Merdeka?

What is your answer?

A.    36

B.     43

C.     48

D.    52

E.     Need more clues

Happy New Year 2011

Diaspora

What does diaspora mean in sociology & history?

Traders, Teachers, Pressmen and Pilgrim Brokers:
Penang Arabs in the Regional Network.
By Abdur-Razzaq Lubis


Compared to the Arab presence in Kedah, the Arab diaspora10 to Penang was far
more visible but unlike Arab migration to the Indonesian archipelago, their migration to
Penang was on a much smaller scale.[page 3]
-----------------------
10 Diaspora has been defined as “ethnic minority groups of migrant origin residing and acting in host countries, but maintaining strong sentimental and material links with their countries of origin”.

The printing industry in Penang spearheaded by the Jawi Peranakan, Arabs and Rawa (they are known as Rao in Sumatra) catered to the Jawi-reading population of the northern states of the Peninsula, southern Thailand and Sumatra. (Khoo, 1990; 29) [Page 8]

Not unlike their Arab brethren in Singapore, whose settlements are focused in the urban areas around Arab Street, Baghdad Street, Bussorah Street, Jedda Street and Muscat Street, the Arab presence in Penang, in the early days were concentrated in Acheen Street-Armenian Street enclave and subsequently in the twentieth century they began to expand their settlements to Kampung Syed in Pulau Tikus, in close proximity to the city centre, Jelutong and Kampung Melayu in Air Itam.16 [Page 8]
------------
16 Kampung Melayu, Air Hitam is a Malay reservation established in the 1930s. It is the only
Malay reservation in the former British Straits Settlements.(Sejarah Persatuan Melayu Pulau
Pinang, ditubuhkan pada 1927: 6)

With regard to the Jelutong Mosque, circa 1900, the property appears to have been under the sole control of one Syed Akil Mashor, prompting the Jelutong Muslim community threatening legal action against Syed Akil, forcing the latter to execute a Trust Deed appointing three trustees for the wakaf. It is telling of the state of affairs with the board’s finding that “Trouble is evidently brewing in connection with this Mosque.” (Hand Book, 1932: 18-9) [Page 12]

In the middle of the eighteen century the Hadhramis began to settle in Malacca, and later on in other of the larger towns in the peninsula.25 During the nineteenth century, many of the Hadhramis went to India, East Africa and the countries around the Red Sea, but after the turn of the century, the Dutch East Indies and the British Straits Settlements became the most important destinations.
-----------------
25 It has been suggested that Hadhramis settled in Malacca as early as the fifteenth century.
(Riddell, 1997: 220) [Page 15]

The great majority of Arabs originated from Hadhramaut, the remaining came primarily from the Hejaz although the author knows of Penang Arabs whose forefathers hails from Cairo and Baghdad. The Hadhrami mainly came to trade, though the sayyid and shaykh had multiple roles as sufi, alim and even merchants; the Arabs from the Hejaz oscillate from the Arabian peninsula to ports of Penang, Singapore and the Batavia to recruit and accompany aspiring hajis to the holy land. [Page 16]

Peranakan Jawi, Peranakan Arab
At the beginning of the nineteenth century most of the Arabs, Hadhramis included married local women, primarily “Malay” or Javanese, inhibiting their return home but still regarding Hadhramaut as their spiritual home, “in the hope that some day they may be able to return there, to await the day of Resurrection and Judgement.”32 Marriage with local or indigenous women declined as more peranakan Arab women, offspring of mixed marriages in the first instance, were available. In other words, they married primarily descendants of these mixed marriages, muwallad (muwallidun) 33 or peranakan Arab as they are known in Java and Jawi Peranakan in the British Straits Settlements. At the height of Hadhrami migration to Southeast Asia, “the muwalladin were an elite and dynamic element, scions of noble and wealthy families…” (Ho, 1997:143) [Page 19]

As bluntly put by Aljelany, “How then can we account for the twelve thousand Malaya-born Hadramis who are left to be assimilated. Well, their fathers have been forced by circumstances to abandon them. They would indubitably have taken them to Hadramaut had they had any choice in the matter.” (Aljelany, 1935: 10)34 The ‘left behind party’ became the Jawi Pekan or Jawi Peranakan @ Peranakan Arab. [Page 19]

For the most part, many of the Arabs arriving in Penang were already Peranakan to begin with, “a hybrid of Arab men from Aceh and Hadramaut and different regions in the Middle-East whose forefathers had married Malay, Rawa, Madurese, Bugis, Thai and Burmese women and where women of sayyid ancestry had already begun to marry indigenous men.” (Wazir, 2009: 134-235) [Page 19]

By the early nineteenth century, there was already such a thing as “Penang Malays” and when used in the context of George Town, the capital of Penang State, the term refers to people of diverse origin. Thomson commented in mid-1800s, that a “Jawee Pakan [is] (an Arab Kling).” (Thomson, 1865: 84) [Page 20]

Peranakan Arab / Tuan Syed / Tok Sheikh
The Peranakan Arab were also called Tuan Syed and Tok Sheikh and marriage between them and the Indian Muslims caused future generations of Peranakan Arabs to be simply called mama, nana, mamu and so on depending on social preference.  [Page 20]

The Malays in their generosity, added the honorific Tok, reserved for an elderly or aristocratic person, in front of the existing title, shaykh, giving the Arabs, the “glamour of piety” and with wealth this became a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy with the Tok Sheikh becoming some of the most wealthy and respected personalities in the Muslim community of George Town. (Wazir, 2009: 135) [Page 21]

So exclusive was this identity that they saw the “real Penang Malays” (Melayu jati Pulau Pinang) as “orang seberang” (mainland/peninsula people), which was subjected to or a target of ridicule as they were regarded as “kampung” people (rural, therefore, backwards). If someone is inactive (mandom) or untidy (kolom) they are equated with the “orang seberang”. (Zakiah Hanum, 1985: 23) Penang are in two parts, the island and a strip of land on the peninsula which under colonial rule was called Province Wellesley and after independence, Seberang Prai. In the table below are some examples of the influence of Arabic in the Malay language. [Page 21]

Some of these tendencies gave rise to a growing rift between the Malay and Indian Muslim communities, a direct result of different experiences of Islam, cultural backgrounds and geographical origins. The clash of civilizations was to rear its ugly head in the fragmentation along racial lines, reflected in the use of derogatory terms such as Darah Keturunan Keling (Kling by descent) and Darah Keturunan Arab (Arab by descent). The forces of communalism won the day, pressuring peoples of Indian, Arab and Indonesian origin to conform and “masuk Melayu” (enter the Malay fold), at the same time rescinding their original cultural identity and ethnicity. [Page 30]

Persatuan Melayu Pulau Pinang / Dr Kamil Mohamed Arif / Captain Mohamad Nor bin Mohamad
The constitutional provision of what constitutes Malay also applied to Penang. In 1933, the Penang Malay Association (Persatuan Melayu Pulau Pinang) submitted a memorandum to the Colonial Office in London, for the creation of a Malay reservation in Air Itam. The memorandum was drafted by Dr. Kamil Mohamed Arif, Captain Mohamad Nor bin Mohamad and Captain Syed Salleh Alsagoff. A piece of land in Air Hitam costing $40,000 was purchased for the purpose and the settlement became known as Kampung Melayu, Air Itam, the one and only Malay reservation in the Straits Settlement [Page 42]

***Captain Mohamad Noor bin Shaik Ahmad is in Dr Che Lah bin Md Joonos' family tree ***

Source:
http://rihlah.nl.sg/Paper/Abdur-Razzaq%20Lubis.pdf
Pages 3, 8, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 30, and 42.

Abdur-Razzaq Lubis:
http://www.mandailing.org/

Working Definition of Malay

I am quite surprised that two Malay friends questioned why I included 'Mamak doctors' in my proposed book. The reviewers ordered a working definition of the term 'Malay'. I always thought the word is well-understood today and I would never have to define it, especially at a time when people are debating on the special status of the Malay people and the upcoming 13th General Election 2012 (13GE). I feel quite unhappy having to define it too since I don't worry about the term at all. I don't think anyone has defined it too. Anyway, I have sat down to read as much as I could since the reviews came back to me.  I bought lots of books (worth >RM500) to help me with just this one definition. Remember, I am not from sociology nor history.

I have completed my own write-up of what the term 'Malay' should mean and how I have adopted it in my proposed book. It took me the whole month of November 2010 to come up with my own Working Definition of Malay for my book. I have prepared and revised 12 versions of my write-up on Working Definition of Malay. This version which I have displayed is the 13th version, revised today, 27 November 2010. I hope you like it.

I am also proposing that we use Orang Melayu in Bahasa Malaysia and English. The term 'Malay' is then used to refer to all people who have some relations to the Orang Melayu, That way we do not confuse what is Malay/non-Malay and Malayness/un-Malayness. Somewhere I read, I saw it written as orang Melayu but I prefer it written as Orang Melayu.

WORKING DEFINITION OF MALAY

INTRODUCTION

The term ‘Malay’ adopted in this book accepts that all Muslims domiciled in previously Malaya and present day Malaysia, regardless of their roots, are Malay. The reason for qualifying them as ‘Malay’ is in line with our Federal Constitution which was drawn up and duly revised at various times in our history, i.e., during British Malaya (1911), the Federation of Malaya (1956-7) and Malaysia (1960-3-present day). As local Muslims, these people share three common attributes: (1) practise Islam, (2) habitually practise customs of the Orang Melayu, and (3) habitually speak Bahasa Melayu. Thus, the term ‘Malay’ should be taken to mean a large heterogeneous group comprising many sub-groups, who are all united by three basic elements – preference for Islamic faith, appreciation of local customary hospitality with emphasis on courtesy and communicating in a simple language that is comprehensible by the mass of people who live in this country. 

Mixed Malay Heritage

Kacukan/Peranakan

The second category consists of mixed sub-groups who share three basic attributes with the Orang Melayu base sub-group and qualify as Malay under the Federal Constitution. Kacukan and peranakan are adjectives in Bahasa Melayu that refer to a mixed heritage. There are more than 54 such mixed ethnic groups who are domiciled throughout the world. They are known by different names in different countries. In Malaysia, there are mixed Indians or Jawi Pekan/Jawi Peranakan (Mamak in colloquial Bahasa Melayu) on the west coast of peninsular Malaya. There are Melayu Champa and many Chinese-Orang Melayu offspring in Kelantan. There is Ceylon Malay/Sri Lanka Malay (Melayu Sri Lanka) in Sri Lanka. Their ancestors originated from Java. Present day Sri Lanka Malay people speak Sinhala (Milner 2008:3-4). There is Melayu India in India, Melayu Pakistan in Pakistan, Melayu Bangla in Bangladesh, Cape Malay/Melayu Afrika Selatan in South Africa. They are descended from more of Indian rather than Archipelago origin and speak Afrikaans or English. There are Marino/Melayu Madagaskar in Madagascar.

Jawi Pekan/Jawi Peranakan

Jawi Pekan and Jawi Peranakan are local Bahasa Melayu terms. Derogatory colloquial synonyms are Mamak, Darah Keturunan Keling (DKK) and Keling. Jawi Pekan referred to Indian Muslims who lived in the cities (e.g., Georgetown and Ayer Itam in Penang) while Jawi Peranakan mainly referred to Indian Muslims who lived in the rural areas of Penang, Kedah and Perak. The British Malaya administration had used the term Jawi Pekan for the birth registration of an Indian Muslim male. For example, Yusoff Azmi Merican bin Zachariah Merican was born at home on 11 September 1939 in 77 Kedah Road, Georgetown to Zachariah Merican bin M.N. Merican (Jawi Pekan) of Georgetown and Hanifah Bee binti Shaik Mohamad (Jawi Pekan) of Ayer Itam (Halimah Mohd Said and Zainab Abdul Majid 2004:219). Indian Muslims were absorbed into the Malay category for the British Malaya census of 1911, 1921 and 1931. Similarly, in the post-Merdeka period the Indian Muslims were absorbed into the Malay category for the Federation of Malaya Census of 1960 and subsequent Malaysian census after 1963 (Time Series Data Population and Housing Census, 1911-2000 2006). Today, descendants of Indian Muslims are referred to as Jawi Peranakan regardless of where they reside. Jawi Peranakan are descendants of an Orang Melayu mother and an Indian Muslim father or vice versa. They observe both Orang Melayu and Indian etiquettes, customs and traditions. They eat Orang Melayu and halal Indian cuisine. They dress in Orang Melayu, Indian or Western attire. Most Jawi Peranakan are language experts and speak English, Malay accent and the Indian languages (Tamil, Urdu, Hindustani, Bangla, Pashtun, etc). Tamil kinship terms are: atta (father) and amma (mother), nana/anè (older brother), achi (older sister), mamak (uncle), mami (aunt), macan (older brother-in-law), maini (older sister-in-law), machi (younger sister-in-law) (Halimah Mohd Said and Zainab Abdul Majid 2004:92). Urdu kinship terms are: walid (father), ma (mother), dada (grandfather), nani/dadi (grandmother), caca (paternal uncle), caci/cahu-cahi (paternal aunt), mamu (maternal uncle), khala (maternal aunt), bhai (older brother), and bu (older sister) (Halimah Mohd Said and Zainab Abdul Majid 2004:92; Google translate 17 Nov 2010). Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) kinship terms are: bap/baap/ab/abu (father), aajaa (grandfather), daadaa (older brother/father/grandfather – meaning depends on locality), bhai/by (brother), bohin/bahen (sister), butcha/batcha (child, infant), Ranee (wife of a Rajah, Princess) (Smith 1999; Wikipedia: Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) word etymology).

Melayu Afrika

Descendents of Orang Melayu are found in South Africa and are known as Melayu Afrika which is synonymous with mixed African Malays. In South Africa, they are grouped as Coloureds. Melayu Afrika refers to offspring of indigenous Orang Melayu women married to African males or vice versa. Sixteenth and seventeenth generations of Melayu Afrika can be found in Cape Town today (pers. comm.). The Orang Melayu names have been modified and adopted anglicised spellings but the peoples still believe in Islam. They observe Orang Melayu etiquettes and customs. They eat local South African cuisine that is halal. The 16^th generation can still recognise the karipap (curry puff) as an Orang Melayu food. The curry puff is often used for returning food favours between close neighbours. The skills for making authentic Orang Melayu karipap may need to be refreshed among the descendants of present day Melayu Afrika. They speak the local language, Afrikaans and English. The ability to speak Bahasa Melayu has been lost in the 16^th and 17^th generations of Melayu Afrika. They dresses in Western and local attire. The Orang Melayu attire does not fit the cold and dry weather conditions of South Africa.

Melayu Arab

The Arabs came to the Malay peninsula prior to the Chinese Muslims arrival from China with Admiral Cheng Ho @ Zheng He’s armada between 1405 and 1433. The Arabs came from India, Yemen and Turkey and mainly came to trade and spread Islam. The synonyms for Melayu Arab (Arab Malay) are Keturunan Arab and Tok Sheikh, Tok Seh or Tok Arab in Kelantan dialect. Melayu Arab refers to the offspring of indigenous Orang Melayu women married to Arab males or vice versa. Their descendants are also Melayu Arab, based on their physical features. However, a person of Arab descent can be considered an Orang Melayu in Kedah but not in Johor (Milner 2008:4), or Kelantan which has implications on land rights. The Melayu Arab carry Syed/Said (male) or Sharifah (female) name prefixes. The Syed/Said and Sharifah prefixes are often omitted after the 7^th generation of mixed marriages as the offspring is no longer regarded as an Arab. They believe in Islam and are often highly regarded within the society for their ability to speak fluent Arabic and recite the Quran and its interpretation for the Muslim populace. They observe both Arab and Orang Melayu etiquettes, customs and traditions. They eat Orang Melayu and halal Arab cuisine. Most can speak Arabic, English and Bahasa Melayu. Apparels vary and include Arab, Western and Orang Melayu outfits. The Melayu Arab peoples are domiciled throughout Malaysia with higher concentrations in Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. Today, they are involved in the private sector. Some have been involved in the textile and Islamic books businesses for many generations. Others have expanded and included business investments in education, medical, housing and ICT infrastructure. One owns large establishments in the cities and belongs to Malaysia’s top ten wealthy people.

India Islam/India Muslim

The Indians of Muslim faith came to the Malay Peninsula were from two categories – the northern Indian and the southern Indian. They were important for Malaya’s economic prosperity during British rule. They were also responsible for constructing the early mosques in Malaya and Singapore. Their generations continue to become imams and mosque caretakers. Synonyms for these Indians are Indian Muslims and Mohamedan Indians. Indian Muslims are offspring of Indian parents. Males often carry their name as initials followed by a surname or clan name (e.g., Dr A.O. Merican and Dr Taufeeq Khan). Females have a Bee/Begum name suffix (e.g., Hashimah Bee and Shafiah Begum). Northern Indian Muslim people originated from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kashmir and have fair complexion. On the other hand, Southern Indian Muslim people originated from Surat, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai and have dark complexion. They are strong and faithful believers of Islam. They adhere to all its teachings and guard all aspects of the religion. Even though they respect Orang Melayu etiquettes, customs and traditions, Indian customs and traditions dominate their lives. They eat mainly halal Indian cuisine along with Orang Melayu cuisine. They are fluent English speakers in addition to their mother tongue (Tamil/Urdu/Hindustani/Bangla/Pashtun) and Bahasa Melayu accent. They dress in Western, Indian or Orang Melayu clothes. Indian Muslims are domiciled throughout Malaysia especially in cities on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia in Penang, Perak and Selangor. Despite their humble beginnings in British Malaya, they are important for Malaysia’s continued religious education and economic growth. Today, they are involved in the automobile industry and are prime movers of Malaysia’s oil and gas industry. One owns the world’s largest pipe laying barge.

Melayu Cina & Cina Islam

The Chinese came to Malaya after the Arabs in two waves. The first wave was during the international voyages of Admiral Cheng Ho (1405-1433). The second wave was during British Malaya to work in the tin mines (1856-1957). Synonyms for the Chinese of Islamic faith are Chinese Malay (Cina Melayu), Chinese Muslim (Cina Islam), Cina Peranakan/Cina Muslim Hui (Tang Ren) (Ann Wan Seng 2010:21-22 Cheng Ho di Melaka) and muallaf. Chinese Muslim (Cina Islam) are Chinese males/females who are Muslim by birth as his/her parents are Muslims (e.g., Cheng Ho/Zheng He). Their offspring is Chinese Muslim. Chinese Malay (Cina Melayu) are Chinese males who become Muslim prior to his marriage to an Orang Melayu woman and vice versa. The Chinese person who converts to Islam is a Chinese Muslim and his/her offspring from his/her Orang Melayu spouse is Chinese Malay or Cina Peranakan.

For the purpose of scientific research and census, offspring of Chinese Muslim and Chinese Malay parents are categorised as Malay. Proper spelling of Chinese names is made difficult by varied pronunciation in the different Chinese dialects. Chinese Muslim names written in Chinese script are not easily translated to Romanised name equivalent and vice versa. Chinese have different given names at birth and are known by different names as adults. Renaming is common among Chinese. For example, Admiral Zheng He (also known as Cheng Ho; Muslim name Haji Mahmud Shams; 1371-1433) was a Hui Muslim of the Ming Imperial Court in China. He was the second son of a Muslim family and had four sisters. His birth name was Ma He. He was captured at age 11 when the Ming army attacked Yunan Province. He was castrated and made a slave before rising through the ranks to becoming Admiral Zeng He. He served 20 years as admiral under three Chinese emperors. Zheng He was his new name given by Prince Chen Chu who became the Ming Emperor Yung Lo/Yong Le/Yongle/Yong Lu (reign 1403-1424).

Chinese males and females carry their own names or new Malay names with Chinese surnames followed by Abdullah to indicate that they have become Muslims (e.g., Hussien Wong Abdullah and Jessica Wong Abdullah). Most use their Chinese names with aliases (e.g., Wong Seong Keong @ Hussien Wong Abdullah). One Chinese male was adopted by a local palace and given an entirely Malay name (e.g., Wong Seong Keong was renamed Hussien bin Isa) which makes proper identification of him as a true Chinese difficult if his Chinese name was not known at all nor by his original or new family or forgotten by himself.

The Chinese Muslim believes in Islam and adheres to all its teachings. They observe more Chinese etiquettes, customs and traditions compared to those of Orang Melayu. They eat halal Chinese cuisine (which is less oily) and some Orang Melayu food (which is oily and often rich in santan). Their meal times are different from that of Orang Melayu. They are often quiet, friendly, helpful and soft spoken. The Chinese speak English, Manglish (colloquial for Chinese style of English), Bahasa Melayu and their mother tongue (Mandarin, Hokkien or Cantonese). Some can read, write and speak Arabic. The Chinese Muslims dress in Western, Chinese or Orang Melayu attire. The Chinese Muslims are domiciled throughout Malaysia. They are usually involved in business, big and small. Many are doctors in the government service while others are general practitioners. They have established strong Chinese Muslim associations (Persatuan Cina Muslim Malaysia, /MACMA and Persatuan Saudara Baru in Kota Bharu, Kelantan) which assist members with their religious needs and also facilitate international business ties. Other business ventures include the importation of hahal meat and dairy products. The most recent international business exposition was the Cheng Ho Expo 2010 held on 21-26 November 2010 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Melayu Serani & Serani Islam

Serani is the local term for mixed Caucasian (White American, European, Australian) heritage. Synonyms are Eurasian Malay/European Malay/Euro-Malay (Melayu Serani) and Eurasian Muslim (Serani Islam). Serani Islam is an offspring of Orang Melayu wife and White husband. Melayu Serani is an offspring of Orang Melayu husband and White wife. They believe in Islam. They observe Orang Melayu and European etiquettes, customs and traditions. They speak fluent English and Bahasa Melayu. They dress in Western and Orang Melayu attire. The Serani people are domiciled on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. There are pockets of British Malay (Melayu Serani Britain), Dutch Malay (Melayu Serani Belanda), Portugis Malay (Melayu Serani Portugis), and Burgher Malay (Melayu Serani Burgher) in Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and Klang. In Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) there is Melayu Serani Ceylon/Sri Lanka. In South Africa there is Cape Eurasian Malay/Melayu Serani Cape/Melayu Serani Afrika Selatan.

References

1.       Ann Wan Seng (ed.). Laksamana Haji Muhammad Cheng Ho. 2010. Persatuan Cina Muslim Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur.

2.       Halimah Mohd Said and Zainab Abdul Majid. 2004. Images of the Jawi Peranakan of Penang. Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. pp. 4,16-17,33,92,219.

3.       Ismail Hussein. 1990. Antara Dunia Melayu dengan Dunia Kebangsaan. pp. 17.

4.    Time Series Data Population and Housing Census, 1911-2000. Department of Statistics, Malaysia, Putrajaya. December 2006. (Data Siri Masa Banci Penduduk dan Perumahan, 1911-2000. Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia. Disember 2006.)

Online resources:

1.       Discover Islamic Art. Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF). http://www.discoverislamicart.org/gai/ISL/ Accessed 18 Nov 2010

2.     Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) word etymology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustani_%28Hindi-Urdu%29_word_etymology. Accessed 17 Nov 2010.

3.       Horas Mandailing. The Mandailing People. 2004. http://www.mandailing.org/Eng/indexeng.html. Accessed 18 Nov 2010.

4.       Lesser Sunda Islands. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Sunda_Islands. Accessed 18 Nov 2010.

5.       Sapura 3000. Sapura. http://www.sapuracrest.com.my/Contents/Sapura3000/Sapura%203000.pdf. Accessed 21 Nov 2010.

6.       Sapura Knowledge and Technology. Sapura. http://www.sapura.com.my/oil_gas.html. Accessed 21 Nov 2010

7.    Shakespear, J. A Dictionary, Hindustani and English. http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionaryhindus00shak/dictionaryhindus00shak_djvu.txt. Accessed 20 Nov 2010

8.    Smith, M. A Glossary of Hindustani-Urdu-Hindi words to be found in Kipling’s works. Dec 1999. http://www.kipling.org.uk/facts_gloss.htm Accessed 17 Nov 2010.

9.    Sunda Islands. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunda_Islands. Accessed 18 Nov 2010

10.    Timeline of Muslim History. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Islamic_history. Accessed 13 November 2010

11.    Zeng He. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzFq0Ivwz9g. Accessed 21 Nov 2010.

Understanding the Malay World and Its People

Malay World/Dunia Melayu

The notion of a Malay World or Dunia Melayu/AlamMelayu is an interesting one but to manifest it is somewhat slow since mapping where all the Orang Melayu are domiciled have been blurred by their continuous complex worldwide migrations. There were proposals to unite the Orang Melayu geo-politically under Malphilindo (Malaysia-Philippines-Indonesia), Malay-Polynesia and ASEAN[1] (Milner 2008:5) but only ASEAN has materialised and survived.

Proto-Malay/Orang Asli/Orang Asal

The descriptions of ‘Malay’ given by Sir Stamford Raffles and Sir Frank Swettenham could have referred to Orang Asli who are nomadic and live off the jungles. The Orang Melayu are dissimilar to the Orang Asli in that they have totally different belief systems, lifestyles and cultures (Adat dan Budaya Orang Asli – Semai 2009).

Orang Melayu Community

The Malays have always had great respect for their community elders and follow an unwritten code of conduct within their respective communities. They continue to use a social structure which was rooted in the Malacca Sultanate. From the time of the Malacca Sultanate, Tanah Melayu (literally Malay land) had its own system of administration, judiciary, customs and practices. This system was deemed efficient by the Malays and was widely used throughout the Malay Archipelago. However, when the European conquerors came, they had disrupted and partially replaced the Malay administrative system with theirs. Today, Malaysia has two systems in place, the Malaysian federal government administrative system which is descended from the British colonial administrative system and the highly treasured Malay state administrative system which is closely guarded by Sultans of each of the Malay states by its Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat-Istiadat Melayu. From an administrative standpoint, the Malays abide by both these systems which govern them.

Bahasa Melayu

From a language standpoint, as a resultant from practising the Malay administrative system, the Malays use a totally different gamut of honorific titles and vocabulary to address themselves and others. This is most obvious when addressing the Malay royals and those holding certain portfolios. Some of the honorific titles are now used by the non-Malays under the federal government administrative system.

Malay

The term ‘Malay’ as has been widely used in English academic textbooks and journal publications has not been properly defined. Without clarification, it has led many to think that Malay refers exactly to Orang Melayu. This is alright for those who do not understand what comprise the Malay. Orang Melayu itself is a complex term. When we refer to ethnicity, there is pure and mixed Orang Melayu. Pure Orang Melayu is what Orang Melayu should mean. Mixed Orang Melayu is known in Bahasa Melayu as Peranakan. Peranakan is both a noun and an adjective. Since 1911, the term Malay cannot be perceived as simply referring to just Orang Melayu for it is a general term which refers to many sub-groups which fall into this category as defined by the British census.

The term ‘Malay’ adopted in this book is a general term which refers to three categories that comprise the fabric of our ‘Malay’ society today. The first category consists of known lineages of Orang Melayu. They do not marry outside their clan nor do they practise outbreeding. They are considered as pure Orang Melayu. There are very few known pure lineages left today. The lineages are being determined by genetic studies. The second category consists of mixed breed sub-groups who are connected to Orang Melayu by blood relations, marriage or adoption. They share three basic attributes with Orang Melayu as stated in the Constitution. They comprise the majority of Malay. The third is a miscellaneous category comprising non-Malay people who legally revert to Islam and are then considered as Malay. Many adults became Muslim on their own accord. Many brides and grooms became Muslims at the time of their marriage to Muslims. Many non-Muslim infants and children underwent the adoption process and then became adopted Muslim children of Muslim families. Many such adopted children bear no blood relation to their foster Muslim parents.

Orang Melayu

The indigenous peoples of Malay stock who inhabit the Malay Archipelago are the Orang Melayu. The term Orang Melayu is synonymous with the terms native Malay, pure breed of Malay, Melayu asli, Melayu jati, and Melayu tulen. Orang Melayu were animists before they became Muslims. They believe in Islam and adhere to the Shafie sect. They read the Jawi (Arabic alphabet-based) script and the Qur’an. Even though they are supposed not to combine Islamic practices with animist religion of their forefathers, they often do, mostly without awareness that they are combining the two. Such practices are especially noticeable at wedding receptions and ceremonial rites. Orang Melayu have their own etiquettes, norms and traditions. Orang Melayu cuisine strictly adheres to the Islamic standards for food preparation, and food prepared in this way is considered as halal (fit for human consumption). Orang Melayu speaks Bahasa Melayu however accents vary between states. Orang Melayu kinship terms are bapa/bapak (father), mak (mother), abang (elder brother), kakak (elder sister), adik (younger brother or sister), anak (child or children), datuk (grandfather), nenek (grandmother), bapa saudara (uncle), ibu saudara (aunt), and saudara-mara/sanak saudara/waris (relatives). Orang Melayu male casual wear includes a shirt or singlet over kain sarong or kain pelekat. The traditional formal male outfit is the baju Melayu suit, kain sampin and songkok. The female casual wear includes baju kurung, T-shirt with kain sarong or a caftan. The traditional formal female outfit is the baju kurung or kebaya panjang. However, name of fabrics, motifs, colours, styles and adornments may vary between states and for different state occasions. These heirlooms are passed down from one generation to the next. Sub-groups of Orang Melayu who are domiciled in peninsular Malaysia are referred to as Orang Melayu Semenanjung. The sub-groups are known by the name of the respective states where they reside or originate. For example, in Perlis (Melayu Perlis), Kedah (Melayu Kedah), Perak (Melayu Perak), Kelantan (Melayu Kelantan), Terengganu (Melayu Terengganu), Pahang (Melayu Pahang), Johor (Melayu Johor), Melaka (Melayu Melaka), and Selangor (Melayu Selangor).

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[1] ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN was formed on 8 August 1967 with 10 member countries - Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar) Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASEAN. Retrieved on 20 Nov 2010.