SHADED LIGHT
SHADED LIGHT
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century,
became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits
Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates.
The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946. Malaya was
restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957.
Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia.
Less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation.
The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a large role in politics.
About half the population is ethnically Malay, with large minorities of Malaysian Chinese,
Malaysian Indians, and indigenous peoples. The constitution grants freedom of religion and
makes Malaysia an officially secular state, while establishing Islam as the "religion of
the Federation". The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary
system and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is the king, known as
the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of
the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the prime minister.
Since its independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with its
GDP growing at an average of 6.5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally
been fuelled by its natural resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism,
commerce and medical tourism. Today, Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked
third largest in Southeast Asia and 29th largest in the world. It is a founding member of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and a member
of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Malaysian cooking style emphasizes the use of spices such as cardamoms, cinnamons and
especially chilies with several shapes, sizes and colors. The main ingredients of
Malaysian cuisines include rice, noodles, bread, meat, vegetables and fruits.
Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. This dish contains rice cooked in coconut milk,
topping with fried anchovies, peanuts and a dab of chili. Another famous dish of Malaysia is
Satay, which are barbecued skewers of meat used with peanut sauce. Satay is known as one of
the most delicious street food in the World.
You must be cautious when trying out local foods around Malaysia, since two different dishes
from different parts of the country can have the same name. An example of this case is laksa,
which refers to different noodles dishes in Penang and Sarawak. Consequently, you should ask
the local people to know which cuisine they are mentioning.
The culture of Malaysia is influenced by various cultures of different groups of people
in Malaysia including mainly Chinese and Indian. Different ethnicities in Malaysia have
their own culture, with some crossover. One thing they share in common is the long
tradition of arts and music.
Music and arts performing in Malaysia are different from regions to regions.
The music is based around percussion instruments; especially the drum called
Gendang. Also, there are many kinds of tradition dances reflecting great spiritual
significance. One important point is that the Malaysian government has limited rap
music and heavy metal because they believe that those kinds of music can cause negative
impacts on the youth.
The diversity in nature and culture, along with the great variety of cuisines in
Malaysia has attracted a lot of tourists each year. Also, more reasonable price
than other countries such as Singapore is another feature that makes Malaysia
more considerable for tourists. If you are looking for a wonderful vacation with
affordable costs, Malaysia is one of the most recommended destinations.
